Recently Featured Award Recipients

Fallona Family Interdisciplinary Science Award: Patricia Corcoran

Patricia Corcoran is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Earth Sciences at Western University. Recruited to Western in 2003, her research focuses on natural and anthropogenic sedimentary deposits in order to gain an understanding of Earth’s changing surface and atmospheric processes through time. One significant element of Corcoran’s research concerns the distribution, accumulation, and degradation of plastic debris in benthic sediment, surface water, and fish of lakes, rivers and oceans Her work on microplastics pollution involves collaboration with members of the Federal and Provincial Governments, local Conservation Authorities, First Nations Communities, and academics in the disciplines of chemistry, biology, engineering, statistics, mathematics, visual arts, and the humanities. Patricia Corcoran’s research has been featured by media outlets across the globe, including National Geographic, the Huffington Post, Science Magazine, the New York Times.

Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada

Lars Konermann - 2018

Lars Konermann is an international leader in the area of mass spectrometry, with a research focus on the role of proteins in health and disease. His work has helped catalyze the transformation of mass spectrometry from a simple ‘mass’ measurement tool to a comprehensive suite of techniques for interrogating protein structure, function, folding, dynamics, binding, and aggregation. Konermann’s advances have been recognized through a number of prestigious national research awards.

Keith Laidler Award (Chemistry)

This award from the Canadian Society for Chemistry recognizes outstanding early-career contributions to physical chemistry, for research carried out in Canada, by a scientist residing in Canada.

2017 - Viktor N. Staroverov

W.A.E. McBryde Medal (Chemistry)

The W.A.E. McBryde Medal is presented to a young scientist working in Canada who has made a significant achievement in pure or applied analytical chemistry.

2017 - Zhifeng Ding

Hellmuth Prizes for Achievement in Research

2018 - Gail Atkinson

Conducting her research at the engineering-seismology interface, Gail Atkinson’s work on earthquake ground motions has been used in hazard and risk assessments around the world. She has participated in seismic hazard analyses for many major engineering projects and is active in the development of seismic design regulations for buildings and critical structures such as dams and nuclear power plants.

Atkinson also works with real­time alerting systems, which can be used for rapid assessment and mitigation of earthquake effects. Her recent research focus looks at hazards and mitigation strategies related to induced seismicity from unconventional oil and gas development.

2017 - Tsun-Kung Sham

Tsun-Kong Sham, a world-class materials chemist, is the authority when it comes to the application of synchrotron radiation to materials science. His area of research is also of strategic importance to the university, anchoring its strength in materials for sustainable energy.

Sham’s research centres on the experimental and theoretical investigation of the electronic structure of matter and its interplay with materials properties, materials performance in a designed functionality and spectroscopy. Emphasis is placed on nanomaterials in general and energy materials and nanocarrier for drug delivery in particular.

Sham has been vital as part of the administration of the Canadian Light Source, a national facility in Saskatoon, as well as scientific director of the Canadian Synchrotron Radiation Facility at the Synchrotron Radiation Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison) since 1998.

A Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and recipient of the prestigious John C. Polanyi Prize of the Canadian Society for Chemistry, Sham, PhD’75, was most recently named to the Order of Canada.