The Office of the Vice President Research and International congratulates faculty members who have recently been awarded internal and external prizes for outstanding research.

Winners of major external awards are posted here as the awards are announced by the sponsor. Please visit the Major External Awards page for an overview of these awards. Winners of the UBC Faculty Research Awards are are also highlighted on this page. Each year, award recipients are recognized at the Celebrate Research Awards Gala.

Major Recognition Awards & Honours

Prix Galien Canada - Research Award

The Prix Galien Canada 2011 Research Award was presented to Dr. Pieter R. Cullis, Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia. The Prix Galien is the most prestigious award in the field of Canadian pharmaceutical research and innovation.  Referred to as the Nobel Prize of pharmaceutical research, it recognizes the efforts and achievements of pharmaceutical research and development.

Dr. Cullis is an internationally recognized pioneer and leader in the field of lipids, biological membranes and liposomal drug delivery systems. His drug delivery systems have produced improved formulations of several cancer therapies as well as other drug agents. His lipid nanoparticles delivery system is a leading technology worldwide, enabling the therapeutic potential of siRNA. He has been very active in the development of several biotechnology companies and is recognized as a remarkable researcher and innovator. He has trained many graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, several of whom have gone on to distinguished careers in their own right.

The Royal Society of Canada

The Royal Society of Canada, Academy of Arts, Humanities and Sciences is Canada’s
senior national body of distinguished scientists and scholars. Fellowship to the
Royal Society of Canada is one of the most prestigious academic distinctions that
can be attributed to a Canadian scholar. These individuals are selected based on
their outstanding scholarly achievements on both a national and international level
through published learned works or through original research in the arts, humanities
and sciences.

Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada

Trevor Barnes, Geography
Geraldine Pratt, Geography
Nemkumar Banthia, Civil Engineering
Judith Hall, Medical Genetics and Pediatrics
Patrick Keeling, Botany
Peter Leung,Obstetrics & Gynecology
Wayne Maddison, Botany
Steven Jones, Medical Genetics

Canada Council for the Arts Killam Prize - Health Sciences

Michael Hayden, (Centre for Molecular Medicine & Therapeutics) and the (Child and Family Research Institute), is the UBC recipient of a prestigious Killam Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts. The Killam Prize is awarded annually to outstanding Canadian scholars in the field of humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, health sciences and engineering.  

Internationally known for his genetic research, Dr. Hayden’s scientific career began with investigations of Huntington disease and his discovery of neuroendocrine abnormalities. Ultimately, his research led to predictive testing for this devastating disease. His later work has also contributed much to our understanding and gene identification of atherosclerosis, Huntington disease and inherited lipid disorders, in which harmful amounts of fatty materials called lipids accumulate in the body.

John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation - Guggenheim Fellowships

Sally Otto (Department of Zoology ) and Patrick Keeling (Department of Botany ) were awarded 2011 fellowships by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. In its 87th annual competition for the United States and Canada, successful candidates were chosen from a group of almost 3,000 applicants. In molecular and cellular biology, botany professor Keeling was recognized for his research on the role of coral reefs in apicomplexan parasite origins.  Prof. Otto was recognized for her research in evolutionary responses to extreme environments in yeast. 

Manning Innovation Award, NSERC-Synergy Award for Innovation

Don Mavinic, Dept. of Civil Engineering, was awarded the prestigious Manning Innovation Award for his leadership in developing a breakthrough nutrient recovery process, marketed as Crystal Green by UBC spin-off company Ostara Nutrient Recovery Inc. Professor Mavinic also won an NSERC Synergy Prize for Innovation, awarded by NSERC, for the same research.

NSERC - E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship

Andrea Damascelli (Department of Physics & Astronomy) and Ruth Signorell (Department of Chemistry) received Steacie Memorial Fellowhsips from NSERC in 2010. Steacie Fellowships are awarded to enhance the career development of outstanding and highly promising university faculty who are earning a strong international reputation for original research.  Only six fellowships are awarded annually across Canada.

UBC Faculty Research Awards - 2010 Winners