2024 Killam Laureates Announced: Recognizing Canadian Leaders in Social Activism, Environmental Urgencies, Antibiotic Advancements, and more
Ottawa, March 19, 2024 – The National Killam Program is pleased to announce the 2024 Killam Prize and Dorothy Killam Fellowship winners, recognizing excellent scholars who are driving the future of Canada.
“The 2024 Killam Prize and Dorothy Killam Fellowship recipients join a long-standing tradition of honouring research excellence in Canada,” said Bernard F. Miller, KC, Managing Trustee, Killam Trusts. “These laureates are translating knowledge into action and forging a path for the next generation of researchers.”
“It is a privilege to serve on the National Killam Selection Committee, and to learn so much about these truly exceptional scholars,” said Maydianne Andrade, Chair, National Killam Selection Committee. “They have all had significant positive impacts on Canadian lives, and these prizes and fellowships provide important recognition of their continued roles as research leaders, barrier breakers and inclusive collaborators.”
“As administrators of the National Killam Program, the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) is pleased to celebrate these esteemed scholars who are driving the future of research excellence and impact in Canada,” said Mitch Davies, President, NRC.
The Killam Prizes are awarded to active Canadian scholars who have distinguished themselves through sustained research excellence, making a significant impact in their respective fields of engineering, health sciences, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences. A prize of $100,000 is awarded to each Killam Prize winner.
The National Killam Program is privately funded through the generous contribution of Dorothy J. Killam to build Canada’s future by encouraging advanced study. Since its inception, the Killam Trusts have provided more than $1 billion for higher education in Canada. There are more than 8,000 Killam laureates worldwide.
Revealing the 2024 Killam Prize winners:
Engineering – Clément Gosselin, Université Laval
Clément Gosselin is a professor in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Université Laval, the Director of CeRVIM (Research Centre on Robotics, Computer Vision and Machine Intelligence) and the Director of the FRQNT-REPARTI Strategic Network on Cyberphysical Systems and Embedded Machine Intelligence. Gosselin is a robotics researcher whose work has a tremendous impact in the field. He has revolutionized the area of robotic grippers by introducing dexterous underactuated robotic hands that are easy to control. This work led to the foundation of Robotiq, a spin-off company that reshaped the robotic gripper industry and that has become one of the 50 most influential robotics companies in the world. Driven by his relentless desire to bridge the gap between robots and nature, Gosselin’s current research focuses on the development of a new generation of robots that can safely and intuitively interact physically with humans. Gosselin is a leading international figure and has established himself as a prominent and very productive roboticist.
Health Sciences – Gerard Wright, McMaster University
Gerard (Gerry) Wright is a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences at McMaster University. Wright is internationally renowned for his research on antimicrobial resistance (AMR). His research on antibiotics, their function, resistance, and biosynthesis has produced numerous landmark studies. These studies have shaped the direction of thought and activity in his field, and are helping to save lives from the grave public health threat posed by AMR. In addition to his leading science, Wright has become an international leader in AMR education, public policy, and generating research capacity. He co-founded the Interdisciplinary Course in Antibiotic Resistance, which provides young researchers, clinicians, and policymakers from all over the world with an in-depth education in antibiotic resistance and discovery. Through more than 30 years of ground-breaking research, he has developed a body of work that has unequivocally informed the global response to drug-resistant infections.
Humanities – Janine Marchessault, York University
Janine Marchessault is a Tier One Research Chair in Media Arts and Community Engagement at York University, and is one of Canada’s leading media and art activism scholars, specializing in community-based and site-specific public art exhibitions, research-creation and public outreach. Marchessault is a recognized leader in fields of cinema studies, communications studies and contemporary art. Her projects impact how we think about and do the work of moving image heritage, promoting scholarship as well as producing active and engaged citizens. Marchessault’s scholarship focuses on critical pedagogy, audio-visual archives, and new forms of public engagement through experimentation with public screens. Marchessault is a prolific and dynamic researcher, curator, collaborator, and teacher. At a time when our public, shared world is so fragile, citizen-scholars like Marchessault inspire us to invest our intellectual, creative, and material resources in the thoroughly democratizing work of active learning, bridge building, and sustainable dreaming.
Natural Sciences – Sylvain Moineau, Université Laval
Sylvain Moineau is a professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Bioinformatics, and holder of the Canada Research Chair in Bacteriophages at Université Laval. Moineau is an eminent microbiologist and researcher, renowned for his outstanding work on bacterial viruses (phages) and pioneering discoveries on CRISPR-Cas systems, an adaptive immune system used by bacteria to defend against phages. With his research group, he has developed an innovative integrative approach, to better understand the diversity, biology, and evolution of these specialized viruses. His pioneering discoveries have inspired researchers around the world and paved the way for some of the most significant scientific advances in biotechnology and genome-editing. As a research leader, Moineau has served as a mentor for his current research team, numerous graduate students and post-docs nationally and internationally. His work has also received the attention of Thomson Reuters and Clarivate Analytics who have ranked him amongst the most cited and influential microbiologists on the planet.
Social Sciences – Tania Li, University of Toronto
Tania Li is a professor in the Anthropology Department at the University of Toronto. Although the world is urbanizing, at least half the population of Asia continues to live in rural areas under conditions that continue to evolve. Focused on Indonesia, Li’s multi-decade field-based research examines the changing rural scene from two angles. In her book Land’s End she explores how family farmers and Indigenous people adapt to new markets, generating change from below; in Plantation Life she examines changes generated from above, and the challenges faced by rural people when large corporations occupy vast areas of land for plantations but offer few jobs. Multiple international prizes, awards and keynote invitations in Asia, Europe and the Americas recognize the scope and importance of Li’s research, her interdisciplinary reach, and her remarkable skills as a public speaker and writer. Beyond academia, Li is often invited to speak to development practitioners, state officials, and activists in land and Indigenous rights, environmental, and social justice organizations in Indonesia and beyond.
The Dorothy Killam Fellowships
The Dorothy Killam Fellowships (formerly the Killam Research Fellowships) support scholars of exceptional ability by granting them time to pursue research projects of broad significance and widespread interest within the disciplines of the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, health sciences, engineering or studies linking any of these disciplines. A Dorothy Killam Fellow is a leading researcher whose superior, ground-breaking, best-in-class research stands to have significant impact on a national or global scale. Dorothy Killam Fellowships are valued at $80,000 per year for a total of 2 years, and are paid to the recipients’ institution to provide relief from teaching and administrative duties.
Revealing the 2024 Dorothy Killam Fellows:
Aimy Bazylak, University of Toronto; Project: Longer lasting, cheaper, and higher performing materials for clean energy.
Elaine Craig, Dalhousie University; Project: Deepening the understanding of legal responses to sexual violence: Examining police, Crown and judicial processes in sexual assault cases.
Jackie Dawson, University of Ottawa; Project: Inuit Qaujisrnirmut Pilirijjutit on Arctic shipping risk.
Kora DeBeck, Simon Fraser University; Project: Responding to the toxic drug crisis: reframing the approach to drug policy and substance use.
Marie-Cécile Piro, University of Alberta; Project: Solving one of the greatest mysteries of our universe: dark matter.
Kathleen Sitter, University of Calgary; Project: Disability histories, soundscapes, and smellwalks: putting our stories on the map.
Ryan Stevenson, Western University; Project: Achieving inclusivity by understanding the sensory processing of autistic people.
Adam Wei Tsen, University of Waterloo; Project: Two-dimensional magnets as a powerful platform in the development of quantum magnonic.
About the National Killam Program
The National Killam Program is privately funded through the generous contribution of Dorothy J. Killam to build Canada’s future by encouraging advanced study.
The National Killam Program comprises the Killam Prizes, the Dorothy Killam Fellowships, and the new Killam NRC Paul Corkum Fellowships. The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) assumed administration and delivery of the National Killam Program in 2022 after more than 50 years of program delivery by the Canada Council for the Arts. With input from the Killam Trusts, the National Killam Program Advisory Board, and hundreds of stakeholders, the National Killam Program honours the vision set out by Dorothy Killam through an updated and inclusive approach to program delivery. In April 2024, the new Killam NRC Paul Corkum Fellowships will launch, a collaboration between the NRC and Killam Trusts.
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