Recipients of the 2020 University-Wide SRC Awards announced

February 18, 2020

Faculty members from across Ryerson have been recognized for their outstanding scholarly, research and creative (SRC) activities over the past year in the 2020 University-Wide SRC Awards.

The awardees have been revealed as part of Ryerson’s announcement of its annual Employee Awards, which also include the Teaching and Education Awards, and the Service and Leadership Awards. The recipients will be presented with their awards at Ryerson Awards Night on Monday, March 30.

“Many congratulations to the inspiring group of faculty who have received SRC awards this year,” said Steven N. Liss, vice-president, research and innovation at Ryerson. “The recipients’ tremendous contributions to scholarly, research and creative activity in their respective fields epitomize Ryerson’s core values and strengths, and I know everybody at Ryerson will join me in recognizing their impressive and impactful accomplishments.”

2020 University-Wide SRC Award recipients

This year’s recipients of the Sarwan Sahota Ryerson Distinguished Scholar Award are professor Michael Arts, of the Department of Chemistry and Biology, and professor Xiao-Ping Zhang, of the Department of Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering. The Sarwan Sahota award is given annually to Ryerson faculty members to honour their seminal scholarship in their areas of expertise.

Professor Arts is a preeminent scholar with an international reputation for his innovative techniques and groundbreaking research into fatty acids in aquatic food webs. He is known for both the quality of his research and his passion for developing solutions to the impacts of climate change on fatty acids.

Professor Zhang is a world-class research leader in engineering and an influential entrepreneur who has helped to shape the development of multiple areas of research and industrial practices. Widely respected in engineering communities, he has nurtured and inspired a generation of young engineers and researchers.

The Collaborative SRC Award, which recognizes researchers involved in multi-disciplinary or multi-institutional projects, has been given to professor Frank Russo of the Department of Psychology. Professor Russo, whose research explores sound, hearing and music, has excelled at creating and maintaining fruitful relationships with academic collaborators, as well as partners in community, non-profit and private sectors.

Professor Elsayed Elbeshbishy, of the Department of Civil Engineering, is the recipient of the Early SRC Career Excellence Award, which recognizes researchers who are in the first five years of their academic careers. Professor Elbeshbishy has been selected for his research into the conversion of waste into energy.

The Knowledge Mobilization and Engagement Award acknowledges outstanding effort in communicating research beyond the university and this year the honour has been awarded to professor Patrice Dutil of the Department of Politics and Public Administration. Professor Dutil’s exceptional contributions in this area include his history podcast and blogs, and work with newspapers, television and radio.

Professor Sara Edge, of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, is the recipient of the Social Innovation and Action SRC Award, which recognizes research advancing innovation in social goals or action. Professor Edge uses research to establish rapport, trust and open communication with a diverse range of social groups with historically limited power, such as recent immigrants, refugees and individuals living with poverty, mental illness or addiction.

Recipients of Deans’ SRC Activity Awards

There are 13 recipients of the Deans’ SRC Activity Awards, which acknowledge individual faculty members on an annual basis for outstanding SRC achievements and impact on their disciplines.

The Faculty of Communication and Design’s recipients are professors Natalie Alvarez and Brett Story. Professors Alagan Anpalagan and Farhad Ein-Mozaffari have been selected by the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science. The Faculty of Community Services’ recipient is professor Anne Harris.

The Faculty of Arts has given awards to professors Stephanie Cassin, Tor Oiamo and Emily van der Meulen. The Faculty of Science’s recipients are professors Konstantinos Georgiou, Janet Koprivnikar and Ali Miri. The recipients in the Ted Rogers School of Management are professors Fei Song and Lu Zhang.