Western Research Excellence Awards
Western is home to many faculty members with national and international reputations for their contributions to research, scholarship and creative activity. These contributions are often not fully recognized outside of the apparent boundaries of the discipline.
Western Research Excellence Awards enable our research community to recognize and celebrate Western faculty members at all career stages for exceptional achievements in research, scholarship and/or creative activity. We recognize the responsibility and potential for research to significantly contribute to a more equitable, just and inclusive society; therefore, these awards embed advancement of equity, diversity, inclusion, decolonization and accessibility (EDIDA) in the research ecosystem as a central area of celebration.
The Awards
Three categories of award are offered. Two awards in each category are offered annually: one in the area broadly defined as the natural sciences, engineering and health (research that would be supported by NSERC and CIHR) and one in the social sciences, arts and humanities (research that would, in general, fall under SSHRC's mandate).
Outstanding Emerging Scholar
Recognizes faculty members at the Assistant Professor level who have demonstrated meaningful and impactful research, scholarly accomplishments and/or creative activity in the early stages of their career and show great future promise for excellence and impact in their discipline and/or broader society.
Outstanding Scholar
Recognizes faculty members at the Associate Professor level who have produced exceptional research, scholarly and/or creative contributions and have clear potential for ongoing excellence, significance and impact in their discipline and/or broader society.
Outstanding Lifetime Achievement
Recognizes faculty members at the Full Professor level who are world-class scholars with a substantial body of work who have demonstrated sustained research, creative and/or scholarly leadership and excellence, and whose ideas and research outputs have made enduring contributions and impacts to their discipline and/or on broader society.
Value and Recognition
Western Research Excellence Awards will be presented at an annual public ceremony. A one-time award of $5,000 for Outstanding Emerging Scholars and Outstanding Scholars, and $10,000 for Outstanding Lifetime Achievement awardees, is provided in an unrestricted research account.
Eligibility
Nominees for Western Research Excellence Awards must have a full-time (limited term/tenure-track/tenured) research-eligible appointment at Western. Nominees for Outstanding Lifetime Achievement at Professor Emeritus rank may be considered, but must be currently active in research, scholarship and/or creative activity. Award winners are eligible to be nominated for later-stage categories in the future, but not for another from the same category.
Nominations and Adjudication Process
Each faculty or school may submit up to one nomination in each of the three award categories. The faculty or school may develop internal procedures for the selection of its nominees. Internal selection procedures must integrate consideration of EDIDA, knowledge exchange and impact.
For details about complete nomination requirements and the adjudication process, please consult the Program Guidelines.
Resources
Best Practice Documents:Dedicated support and resources for Indigenous research and Equity Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization in research are provided through the Inclusive Research Excellence and Impact team. You can access tailored and curated resources through our webpages (EDID, Indigenous Resources, Knowledge Mobilization) and you can also complete a request for support form to request a consultation and additional assistance. If you are unsure if your nomination involves Indigenous research, it is recommended that you contact the team early for determination and support.
Deadline and Submission
- Nominations for 2024 Western Research Excellence Awards must be received by Western Research no later than March 22, 2024.
- Each nomination dossier must be compiled into one PDF document and emailed directly to rwprizes@uwo.ca.
Contact
Research Awards & Distinctions at rwprizes@uwo.ca for questions about the WREA program.
