September 3, 2024
A total of fifteen UBC faculty members have been announced by the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) as new Fellows and as Members of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.
Seven UBC faculty members have been named Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada. 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.
Eight 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.
The 2024 Fellows and Members will be welcomed into the RSC in November, at the RSC Celebration of Excellence and Engagement.
Citations courtesy of the Royal Society of Canada
NEW FELLOWS
Barbara Dancygier (Department of English Languages and Literatures, UBC Vancouver)
Barbara Dancygier is Professor and Distinguished University Scholar at the Department of English Language and Literatures, University of British Columbia, and past President of the International Cognitive Linguistics Association. Her research interests lie in cognitive linguistics and poetics, focusing on multimodal communication, linguistic constructions, and post-truth phenomena in public communication. She has published monographs, textbooks, edited volumes, and numerous research articles. Her monograph on internet memes will appear in 2025.
Patricia Duff (Department of Language & Literacy Education, UBC Vancouver)
Patricia Duff is a Distinguished University Scholar and internationally recognized leader in applied linguistics and multilingual education. Her award-winning scholarship on case study research methods, Chinese language learning, and academic English discourse socialization has catalyzed new lines of research in diverse geopolitical, disciplinary, and ethnolinguistic global contexts. Her foundational research on the complex experiences of transnational learners has transformed the theory and methods used in research on multilingualism worldwide.
Torsten Nielsen (Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UBC Vancouver)
Torsten Nielsen is a clinician-scientist pathologist who is working to translate the vast amount of molecular information about cancer gained from new genomic technologies into practical advances that improve health. In sarcomas he has developed new, faster and more accurate diagnostics and made discoveries that have led to new targeted therapies. For breast cancer, he has developed tests that identify women who can safely avoid radiation and chemotherapy.
Gina Ogilvie (School of Population and Public Health, UBC Vancouver)
Gina Ogilvie is a Professor and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in the Global Control of HPV (human papillomavirus)-Related Disease and Cancer at the University of British Columbia. Her career is dedicated to eliminating cervical cancer in Canada and globally. She is internationally recognized for her research on reduced dosing of the HPV vaccine, improving HPV vaccine uptake, and innovative cervical screening methods, which have transformed health policy globally.
Cindy Prescott (Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, UBC Vancouver)
Cindy Prescott is a Professor in the Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences at the University of British Columbia. Her research spans the interface between forest ecology and forest management, advancing forest science and ensuring that forest management decisions are based on solid scientific evidence. Her research has challenged several widely held beliefs, which she tested through her own experiments and through critical analysis of existing evidence.
Margo Seltzer (Department of Computer Science, UBC Vancouver)
Guided by the goal of improving the experience of computer users and systems builders, and bringing formidable creativity and foresight to her work, Margo Seltzer’s pioneering contributions to Computer Systems include flexible data storage systems for the internet, data provenance systems that support computational reproducibility and network security, and interpretable machine learning models that are transforming high-stakes decision making. She is a visionary leader, caring mentor and dedicated community builder.
Edward Slingerland (Departments of Philosophy / Psychology / Asian Studies, UBC Vancouver)
Edward Slingerland is Distinguished University Scholar and Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia, where he also holds appointments in the Departments of Psychology and Asian Studies and is Director of the Database of Religious History (religiondatabase.org). Dr. Slingerland is the author of several academic monographs, translations and edited volumes, two trade books, and approximately fifty book chapters, reviews, and articles in top academic journals in a wide range of fields.
NEW MEMBERS OF THE RSC COLLEGE
Mohammad Arjmand (School of Engineering, UBC Okanagan)
Mohammad Arjmand is a renowned and award-winning researcher in the fields of nanotechnology and polymer engineering. He is an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia, where he leads the Plastic Recycling Research Cluster. Dr. Arjmand’s research focuses on synthesizing multifunctional nanomaterials, developing their assemblies, and creating polymer nanocomposites. He is a highly cited and well-funded researcher with strong collaborations across various industries in Canada.
Marie Auger-Méthé (Department of Statistics / Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, UBC Vancouver)
Marie Auger-Méthé is a highly original interdisciplinary researcher whose work in the development and application of novel statistical methods provides impactful insights to the ecology, movement, health, and behaviour of animals, advancing fundamental scientific knowledge that is crucial in formulating effective wildlife management and conservation policies. Her research brings new insights into the responses of ecologically important species, particularly charismatic marine species, to global environmental changes.
Kayla King (Departments of Zoology and Microbiology & Immunology, UBC Vancouver)
Kayla King is a Professor and Canada Excellence Research Chair at UBC. She is an expert on the ecology and contemporary evolution of host-parasite interactions. Her research seeks to understand how host and parasite species coevolve, as well as to study the impact of biodiversity and environmental conditions on parasite transmission and virulence over time. Her findings have helped advance our understanding of adaptation and wildlife health in a changing world.
Andrea Reid (Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, UBC Vancouver)
Andrea Reid is a Nisga’a citizen and scientist engaged in community-partnered work on fish and fisheries, critically examining their pasts and envisioning just futures. Her research and teaching, based out of the Nass River Valley, centre approaches that are intergenerational, land-based, and relational. Dr. Reid is a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Fisheries Science, leading the Centre for Indigenous Fisheries at The University of British Columbia.
Dylan Robinson (School of Music, UBC Vancouver)
Dylan Robinson is a world-recognized authority on Indigenous music, public art, and performance and their engagements with settler colonial politics of reconciliation and redress. His interdisciplinary scholarship, curatorial work, and facilitation of collaborative gatherings have cut new trail in understanding Indigenous sonic culture and other expressive arts and their work in the world. His research and practice have guided global conversations about Indigenous cultural heritage and artistic production.
Manish Sadarangani (Department of Pediatrics, UBC Vancouver)
Manish Sadarangani is an international expert in translational vaccinology, whose work uniquely encompasses laboratory, clinical and epidemiologic research. His scientific expertise enables him to respond quickly to changing priorities to tackle diverse knowledge gaps rapidly and produce high quality research findings to inform policy. Specifically, his research improves understanding of immune responses to vaccination, identifies high-risk groups to target immunization programs, and evaluates vaccine effectiveness to inform evidence-based policy.
Azim Shariff (Department of Psychology, UBC Vancouver)
Azim Shariff is a Professor and Canada 150 Research Chair in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia. He is one of the world’s leading young scholars in the areas of social psychology. He has gained international acclaim for his research, which delves into subjects such as the connection between religion and morality, and the way that people emotionally and intellectually react to emerging technologies.
Heidi Tworek (Department of History and School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, UBC Vancouver)
Heidi Tworek is Canada Research Chair, Professor of History and Public Policy, and Director of the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Multi-award-winning author of one book and over 45 journal articles and book chapters, Tworek researches the global history and policy of communications and media. She is a Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation.