A total of nine UBC faculty members have been announced by the Royal Society of Canada as new Fellows and as Members of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.
Six UBC faculty members have been named Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC). Fellows are elected by their peers for their outstanding scholarly achievements. They are distinguished individuals from all branches of learning who have made remarkable contributions in the arts, the humanities and the sciences, as well as in Canadian public life. This recognition by the RSC is the highest honour in the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences and Sciences.
Three UBC faculty members were named as Members of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. The RSC College is Canada’s first national system of multidisciplinary recognition for the emerging generation of Canadian intellectual leadership. These mid-career leaders bring a multigenerational capacity to address major challenges and seize new opportunities, including those in emerging fields.
The 2025 Fellows and Members will be welcomed into the RSC in November, at the RSC Celebration of Excellence and Engagement.
New Fellows
Prof. Allan Bertram (Department of Chemistry)
Allan Bertram is a Professor of Chemistry and Distinguished University Scholar at The University of British Columbia and a leader in atmospheric chemistry. His research has significantly advanced the understanding of atmospheric aerosols. He developed new methods to study aerosols, characterized key properties, and contributed theoretical frameworks to predict their behaviour. His work has improved our understanding of air quality and climate and supports models that inform global environmental policy.
Prof. William W. L. Cheung (Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries)
William W. L. Cheung is a world-leading expert on climate change impacts on marine ecosystems and fisheries. His pioneering, interdisciplinary research, spanning ecology, oceanography, economics, and social sciences, has transformed global understanding of ocean sustainability, biodiversity conservation, and food security. Cheung’s integrated modelling and scenario approaches have shaped international assessments, informed policy from local to global scales, and advanced adaptation strategies to safeguard marine ecosystems and dependent communities.
Prof. Joanna McGrenere (Department of Computer Science)
Driven to enhance the user experience of everyday interactive technologies for a wide array of people, Joanna McGrenere’s pioneering contributions in human-computer interaction encompass multi-modal systems for individuals with aphasia and learning support tools for older adults, both of which enable greater independence, and highly personalized user interfaces that are transforming how people experience feature-rich software and personal data management. She is an inspiring leader and an exceptional mentor.d adaptation strategies to safeguard marine ecosystems and dependent communities.
Prof. Tamara Munzner (Department of Computer Science)
Tamara Munzner is a leader in the development, evaluation, and characterization of visualization systems and techniques. She has contributed problem-driven visualization solutions to many application domains ranging from genomics to journalism. Her technique-driven visualization interests include graph drawing and dimensionality reduction. Her widely used book Visualization Analysis and Design provides a systematic, comprehensive framework for thinking about visualization in terms of principles and design choices.
Prof. Kiran Soma (Department of Psychology)
Kiran Soma, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a world-renowned expert on how hormones affect the brain and immune system, has made transformative contributions to psychology, neuroscience, and endocrinology. He publishes in the most prestigious scientific journals and is one of Canada’s most highly cited behavioural neuroscientists.
Prof. Ingrid Stairs (Department of Physics and Astronomy)
Ingrid Stairs is a leading expert in radio observations of pulsars, using these fast-spinning compact stars to study matter at high densities and to test Einstein’s theory of General Relativity. She is a founding member of the NANOGrav collaboration, which in 2023 announced evidence for a stochastic low-frequency gravitational-wave background. She is also part of the team using the Canadian CHIME telescope to discover Fast Radio Bursts and new pulsars.
New Members of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists
Prof. Isla Myers-Smith (Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences)
Isla Myers-Smith is an international research leader who has made major impacts on Arctic ecosystem science and ecology. She is internationally known for her Arctic greening research, as the global expert on tundra vegetation responses to climate change, including the process of shrubification. Her research is impactful, interdisciplinary and inclusive and she works collaboratively to conduct research internationally and within the Canadian North.
Prof. Supriya Routh (Peter A. Allard School of Law)
Supriya Routh is the Canada Research Chair in Labour Law & Social Justice at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at The University of British Columbia. His interdisciplinary research agenda includes theoretical conceptualizations of the law of work, regulatory exclusion of informal workers in the Global South, deliberative lawmaking, and social justice and sustainable human development. Supriya’s current research examines non-Eurocentric normative ideas on the relationship between livelihoods and sustainability.
Prof. Shannon Walsh (Department of Theatre & Film)
Shannon Walsh is a filmmaker and writer whose work explores the affective and political stakes of social justice, grief, and global crises. Her films have screened globally, prompting dialogue across disciplines and communities. Author of The Documentary Filmmaker’s Intuition (2024), she writes widely on inequality, gender and visual methods. Her work has been recognized with a Guggenheim Fellowship, a MacDowell residency, and the 2023 Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts.
