ABOUT THE AWARDS SERIES

Each year since 1995, CUFA BC honours the outstanding scholarship and public policy contributions of the distinguished academics at five research universities across the province. They are Simon Fraser University,

University of British Columbia, University of Northern British Columbia, University of Victoria, and Royal Roads University.

At CUFA BC, we believe that the ideas that flow out of our universities are the lifeblood of our citizenry and democratic landscape, our intellectual life, and our economy. The CUFA BC Distinguished Academics Awards celebrate the ideas that contribute to the non-academic community and demonstrate the necessity and vitality of public university-based research and scholarly activity.

Each year, the nominees hail from different institutions and disciplines, and conduct research in very different domains. However different their work, they are united by their passion for rigorous and meaningful scholarship – and for research that contributes to the public good.

The awards bring with it the admiration of one’s colleagues across the institution, disciplines, geographic borders and beyond, and is recognized with a commemorative plaque and cash award. 

Learn more about the Distinguished Academics Awards:

2025 Winners & Nominees

Awards History

2024 Award Winner Videography Profiles

Past Winners

Nominations (CLOSED)

Celebrating the 2025 Distinguished Academics Awards Recipients & Nominees

The Confederation of University Faculty Associations of British Columbia (CUFA BC) is pleased to announce the recipients and nominees of the 2025 CUFA BC Distinguished Academics Awards:

• Early in Career Award: Dr. Laura Schummers (University of British Columbia)
• Ehor Boyanowsky Academic of the Year Award: Dr. Dennis Hore and Dr. Bruce Wallace (University of Victoria)
• Paz Buttedahl Career Achievement Award: Dr. Ellen Petticrew and Dr. Philip Owens (University of Northern British Columbia)

CUFA BC President Monica Prendergast emphasized the importance of these contributions:

“Faculty members in BC’s universities engage in outstanding scholarship that shapes new discoveries and deepens our understanding of the world. While much of this work happens beyond the public eye, it has far-reaching impacts on policy, technology, and society. The Distinguished Academics Awards provide a platform to acknowledge the invaluable role of university research in our communities.”

Congratulations to the winners and all the nominees for these awards. The awards will be presented at a gala reception on May 1, 2024 at the Fairmont Empress in Victoria, BC.

Learn more about the 2025 Distinguished Academics

Early in Career Award – Dr. Laura Schummers, University of British Columbia

Dr. Schummers is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on improving reproductive population health through health policy and outcomes research. She leads a national, four-year study funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to assess the impact of BC’s first-in-Canada policy making prescription contraception free. This work may guide contraception and pharmacare policy across Canada. Dr. Schummers is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of scholars and public policy leaders.

Ehor Boyanowsky Academic of the Year Award – Drs. Dennis Hore and Bruce Wallace, University of Victoria

Dr. Hore (Department of Chemistry and Computer Science) and Dr. Wallace (School of Social Work and the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research) from the University of Victoria are recognized for their groundbreaking project, Substance. This initiative developed a drug-checking program to address BC’s toxic drug crisis. Their interdisciplinary team, consisting of students from social work, chemistry, public health, and computer science, created innovative public health responses using drug-checking technologies integrated with harm reduction strategies. Their work has had a direct impact on community health and safety in BC.

Paz Buttedahl Career Achievement Award – Drs Ellen Petticrew and Philip Owens, University of Northern British Columbia

Dr. Owens and Dr. Petticrew, the Forest Renewal BC Endowed Research Co-Chairs in Landscape Ecology at the University of Northern British Columbia, are honored for their lifelong contributions to environmental conservation and management. Over the past three decades, their research has significantly shaped environmental policies in BC and beyond. One of their most impactful projects involved a decade-long study into the aquatic and environmental effects of the 2014 Mount Polley Mine disaster, Canada’s largest mining catastrophe. Their interdisciplinary research contributed to the submission of formal charges under the federal Fisheries Act. 

Recognizing the Nominees

The Awards Selection Committee had the extremely difficult task of selecting award recipients from the many outstanding nominees, whose excellence is indicative of the high quality of British Columbia’s faculty and of their many contributions to the life in British Columbia. From one year to another, the nominees hail from different institutions and disciplines, and conduct research in very different domains. However different their work may be, they are united by their passion for rigorous and meaningful scholarship – and for research that contributes to the public good. We congratulate all of the nominees who have clearly earned the deep respect of their colleagues, both inside and outside of the academy.

Dr. Anne-Sofie Ahm is an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) at the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences (SEOS) at the University of Victoria. She was nominated for her groundbreaking working on sediment alteration. She uses novel geochemical and numerical techniques to study the geochemistry of ancient sedimentary rocks and create new and more robust records of our planet’s history. She recently revolutionized a new approach that allows us to see though the ‘geologic noise’ and generate more robust records of past climate change. Dr. Ahm is part of the SEOS Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity committee. She is also the chair of SEOS undergraduate Awards Committee.
Dr. Kaylee Byers
Dr. Kaylee Byers is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. She was nominated for her outstanding work in bridging disciplinary divides and engaging knowledge users in collective action to support a healthier world. She uses an integrative One Health framework and eco-social justice lens to approach animal, human and ecosystem health. Her research projects engage the academic, government and community partners in co-creating and implementing practical tools and solutions to challenge threatening urban and rural communities. Apart from this, Dr. Byers is a Senior Scientist with the Pacific Institute on Pathogens, Pandemics and Society. She co-founded, organizes and hosts Nerd Nite Vancouver, which is a science seminar series that talks about science in a casual setting.
Dr. Theodore Cosco
Dr. Theodore Cosco is an Associate Professor of Mental Health & Aging in the Department of Gerontology at Simon Fraser University. He’s also a Research Fellow at the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, University of Oxford. Dr. Cosco was nominated for his innovative work in gerontology and public health, especially his community-engaged research, demonstrates his significant contributions to both academia and the wider community. His recently funded projects on ‘Co-creating the future of older adults’ mental health’ include the development of an online mental health peer-support platform for older adults. These initiatives have provided practical, tangible benefits to the community, particularly in improving the mental health and social connectedness of older adults.
Dr. Belinda kakiyosēw Daniels

Dr. Belinda kakiyosēw Daniels is an Assistant Professor of Indigenous Education at the University of Victoria. She was nominated for her advocacy in Cree language revitalization. She specializes in teaching Cree as a second language and uses second language methods to teach other Indigenous language. She focuses on teaching from a nēhiyawak perspective, engaging in nēhiyawak language revitalization while working to unlearn the impacts of colonialization within formal educations. Apart from this, Dr. Daniels is the founder of nēhiyawak Language Experience Inc, which is a grassroots initiative for maintaining land-identity, engaging in cultural practices, and fostering language proficiency. She also sits on the CCUNESCO board for two areas: Indigenous languages and land-based educations.

Dr. Ann-Kathrin McLean

Dr. Ann-Kathrin McLean is an Assistant Professor in the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management at Royal Roads University. She was nominated due to her exemplary research, teaching, and commitment to students. Dr. McLean has shown commendable and inspirational leadership and scholarly contributions focusing on the politics of memory, Holocaust remembrance, and discourse on learning from the past to shape a more peaceful global future. She has published a book “Millennials, Transitional Memory and the Future of Holocaust” which helped her disseminate her findings and helped her contribute to the emerging outputs associated with Holocaust Remembrance. Furthermore, she is the President of the Young Researchers Network.

Dr. Alexandra Tavasoli

Dr. Alexandra Tavasoli is Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Tavasoli was nominated for her work on low-carbon alternatives to chemical manufacturing processes. The alternative processes that she developed with her research group use waste feedstocks like captured carbon dioxide, and/or biogas from organic wastes like sewage or food scraps, alongside low-carbon forms of energy, resulting in chemical products with drastically reduced carbon intensities. She also explores how communities could self-finance these systems and implement the net zero economy in a distributed manner, extending the more popular idea of community-based energy systems to community-base chemical and materials manufacturing.

The following faculty members were nominated for the 2025 CUFA BC Ehor Boyanowsky Academic of the Year Award:

Dr. Jacquelyn Cragg

Dr. Jacquelyn Cragg is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science at the University of British Columbia, she is also a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Open Data Science. She was nominated for her outstanding contributions to society through her research and advocacy for open science. In recent years, Dr. Cragg has demonstrated a profound commitment to leveraging academic research for the benefit of broader communities, particularly within the field of open science in the context of neurological health and spinal cord injuries. Her current research aims to identify causes, risk factors and biomarkers of neurological disease progression, including Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury and stroke.

Dr. Lori Daniels

Dr. Lori Daniels is Professor and Koerner Chair in Wildfire Coexistence in the Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Daniels was nominated for her research elucidating historical fire regimes, including Indigenous fire stewardship, disruptions due to colonization, fire suppression, land-use and climate change – all of which contribute to the megafires in recent years. Dr. Daniels has combined her knowledge of wildfire science with their excellent communication skills to educate and inform the people of BC and Canada about the causes and consequences of these megafires and the proactive solutions to coexist with wildfire. She is also awarded the prestigious King Charles III Coronation Medal.

Dr. Anusha Kassan

Dr. Anusha Kassan is an Associate Professor in the School and Applied Child Psychology programme at the University of British Columbia. She holds a High-Impact position in Child and Youth Mental Health. Dr. Kassan was nominated for her contributions to academia, community service, and social justice. Her recent research contributions have had direct, profound impacts on various historically, persistently and systematically marginalized communities, particularly for diverse newcomers in Canada. Her research focuses on two interconnecting areas: “The Immigration Experiences of Different Newcomer Communities” and “Teaching and Learning in Psychology Training.” Her work has shaped policy, curricula and practices, this ensures that historically oppressed communities are central to the discourse in psychology. Dr. Kassan is a passionate educator that integrated social justice into her teaching.

Dr. Alexandra Lysova

Dr. Alexandra Lysova is an Associate Professor in the School of Criminology at Simon Fraser University. Dr. Lysova was nominated for her research addressing the intricated dynamics of intimate partner violence and homicide-affecting women, men, and children-as pervasive criminal justice, social, and public health issues in Canada, Russia, and other countries. Her research has delved into some of the least studied and contentious issues withing partner violence research. She is nominated based on specific contributions in the past several years, which include a series of academic papers that explore men’s experience of abuse both in Canada and internationally, yielding tangible outcomes beyond the research boundary.

Dr. Julia Smith

Dr. Julia Smith is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. Dr. Smith was nominated for her research to identify health and social inequities and inform policy approaches to infectious disease events. She is recognized by her peers as an emerging leader in feminist and rights-based approaches to research on the health and social inequalities relating to HIV/AIDS, the tobacco industry, Indigenous Peoples, and pandemic planning and response. She has raised public awareness of the gendered dynamics of health and promoting gender-responsive research, policy, and practice.

Dr. Tammara Soma

Dr. Tammara Soma is an Associate professor at the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University. She was nominated for her recent work which raised the awareness about food waste and its relationships to income equality, urbanization, land use and climate change. Dr. Soma co-founded Food System Labs, which is a research and innovation hub where they work on solutions for equitable collaboration to reduce food waste and support a sustainable food system that enhances ecosystems, conserves natural resources and mitigate climate change. In 2023, Dr. Soma and her team completed a major citizen science project “Our Home, Our Food, Our Resilience”, to identify and categorize hidden food assets in three BC communities. This project re-examined the mapping process in ways that better support food system resiliency, Indigenous food sovereignty and food accessibility.

Dr. Kenneth Christie

Dr. Kenneth Christie is a Professor and Program Head in the Human Security and Peacebuilding graduate program at Royal Roads University. He was nominated for his more than 40-year career in academia, that spanned to multiple countries and continents. Working in multiple countries in the world, this gave Dr. Christie a unique perspective on peace, development and human security. His work is focused on issues on human rights, security and democratization, where now he is working on issues relating to human security and its links to ethnic and state formation/failure in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. Dr. Christie is also working on issues of deradicalization, terrorism and human rights as well as populism and corporate social responsibility. He is a widely published author, who’s most recent book was called “Migration, Refugees and Human Security in the Mediterranean and MENA.”

Dr. Diane Gromala

Dr. Diane Gromala is a Distinguished Professor in the School of Interactive Arts and Technology (SIAT) at Simon Fraser University. Dr. Gromala was nominated for her research combining approaches from computer science and interactive art and design to address chronic pain. An intriguing aspect of her work is how it innovatively merges art and science to empower people to regain agency over their internal states, a phenomenon known as meta-plasticity that holds immense potential for long-term benefits to health and wellness. Her research has expanded beyond chronic pain to explore the development of systems of acute pain, cancer, precision medicine, menopause, mental health and addition, and even the preservation of cultural heritage. Her work to demonstrate the complexity of chronic pain, reduce its social stigma, and insist on mitigating ethical risks for at-risk groups have laid a solid foundation for responsible technology interventions for BC’s growing population.

Dr. Mark Jaccard

Dr. Mark Jaccard is a Distinguished Professor and has served as the Director in the School of Resource and Environment at Simon Fraser University. He is nominated for his sustained contributions to developing innovations in energy-economy model for assessing climate policies and assisting governments, industries and the public in acting on climate change. His focus on research is the design and application of energy-economy-emission (EEE) models for assessing climate policies. Dr. Jaccard’s research with the Energy and Materials Research Group (EMRG) is the leading applied academic EEE modelling team in Canada. He has also developed the game-changing CIMS model, which is “an integrated, energy equilibrium model that simulates the interaction of energy supply demand and the macro-economic performance of key sectors of the economy, including trade effects.” This CIMS model was used by the Canadian Government as a sustainable policy management tool from the 1990s and 2000s. Dr. Jaccard previously received the CUFA BC Distinguished Academic of the Year Award in 2008.

Dr. Faisal Khosa

Dr. Faisal Khosa, MD, MBA is an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Khosa was nominated for his work on improving gender and racial disparities in educational institutions as well as advanced in the field of radiology. His work helps to ensure a sustainable legacy of inclusive excellence in academia, increasing accessibility of higher education and achievement for underrepresented students. Dr. Khosa has shown exemplary initiative and leadership through actions that epitomize altruism, integrity, persistence, and perseverance in serving those in need. His research has catalyzed academic and social change.

Dr. Guofang Li

Dr. Guofang Li is a Professor in the Department if Language and Literacy Education at the University of British Columbia; she is also a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Transnational/Global Perspectives on Language and Literacy Education for Children and Youth. Her work has made significant theoretical and pedagogical contributions to advancing culturally responsive/relevant approaches to literacy instructions in multicultural communities and classroom. Dr. Li has made outstanding contributions to the promotion of second and heritage language initiatives as well as anti-Asian racism thought her leadership in outreach and engagement activities in immigrant and refugee communities, non-profit organizations and schools with diverse populations. Recently was part of a significant initiative to developing a comprehensive and forward-thinking strategy to improve responses to humanitarian crises, especially for refugees and displaced populations in BC.

Dr. Lenora Marcellus

Dr. Lenora Marcellus is a Professor and Director in the School of Nursing at the University of Victoria. She is nominated for her long-standing program of research studying the impact of substance use during pregnancy, neonatal opioid withdrawal and supporting infants in foster care. Dr. Marcellus’s research focuses on supporting pregnant and newly parenting women who are experiencing multiple adversities and their families into their transition to parenting. She also works with issues of substance use during pregnancy, which incorporates developing a supportive community-based services for women, infants experiencing Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal and foster care providers who care for them. In her publication “With Child – Substance use During Pregnancy: A Woman-centered Approach,” Dr. Marcellus proposes that those who provide services for woman who are pregnant and early parenting who are using substances must be cared for in the same health-oriented and non-judgemental way as care for women with medical problems.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS AND NOMINEES!  

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

A list of frequently asked questions can be found on our website at https://cufa.bc.ca/awards/nominations/faqs/.

For any other questions, please contact us at [email protected].