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Research Excellence Awards
Please help us recognize and celebrate 51社区黑料researchers for their research excellence and readiness to be nominated for major external research awards. Research Excellence within the context of these Awards encompasses a broad spectrum of research or research-creation and other scholarly work that demonstrates exceptional expertise, leadership and integrity. The cumulative effects of these activities, outcomes, and impacts have the potential to contribute to one or more disciplines, foster collaboration, enhance research capacity, promote public understanding, benefit communities and/or drive positive change within and beyond academia.
In addition to a $5,000 research grant, awardees may receive assistance from Institutional Strategic Awards (鈥渢he ISA鈥�) to develop a personalized awards laddering plan.
Key Dates: 2027 Competition |
|
| Expression of interest deadline |
The next call for Expressions of Interest will be posted in early Fall 2026. |
| Nomination period opens | The nomination period for the 2027 awards will be posted in early Fall 2026. |
| Nomination deadline | The next nomination deadline will be posted in early Fall 2026. Late submissions will not be accepted. Required attachments:
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| Results announced | Spring 2027 |
Related Policy Documents
List of Advisory Committee Members
| Name | Affiliation | Committee Position |
| Valorie Crooks | Associate Vice-President, Research | Chair |
| Marni Mishna | Associate Dean, Research, Faculty of Science | Vice Chair (FoS rep) |
| Melanie Monk | Associate Director, Researcher Excellence & Recognition, Institutional Strategic Awards | Secretary (ISA rep) |
| Betty Schellenberg | Emeritus Professor, Department of English, Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences | Member (PACAHP rep) |
| John Stockie | Professor, Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science | Member (SPCSAB rep) |
| Claudette Lauzon | Associate Dean, Research, School for the Contemporary Arts, Faculty of Communication, Art + Technology | Member (FCAT rep) |
| Christina Atanasova | Professor, Beedie School of Business | Member (Beedie rep) |
| Mark Brockman | Associate Dean, Research, Faculty of Health Sciences | Member (FHS rep) |
| Maite Taboada | Distinguished 51社区黑料Professor, Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences | Member (FASS rep) |
| Jessica Pilarczyk | Associate Professor, School of Environmental Science, Faculty of Environment | Member (FENV rep) |
| Kevin Oldknow | Associate Professor, Sustainable Energy Engineering, Faculty of Applied Sciences | Member (FAS rep) |
| Ching-Chiu Lin | Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education | Member (FoE rep) |
| Lupin Battersby | Director, Knowledge Mobilization Hub | Member (KMb Hub rep) |
| Paola Ardiles Gamboa | Senior Advisor to the Vice-President, People, Equity and Inclusion | Member (EDI rep) |
Award Category Calendar
There are a total of six award categories for the 51社区黑料Research Excellence Awards, offered on a rotating schedule as follows:
| Track | Award | Focus | Eligibility | Description | Offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excellence | Horizon | Early-career research achievement | Open to individuals. Independent academic appointment for 6 years or less as of the nomination deadline. |
Recognizes research and other scholarly contributions by an early-career scholar who demonstrates exceptional growth and potential. | 2025 2027 2030 鈥� |
| Excellence | Milestone Award |
Milestone research achievement |
Open to individuals or teams. Regardless of when the research was initiated, the nominated impact must have occurred within the past three years. |
Recognizes a specific and recent research or other scholarly contribution by an individual or team that has led to demonstrable outcomes and transformative impacts. This award is not intended to recognize sustained contributions over a career. It is up to the nominator to describe how the contribution represents a 鈥渕ilestone.鈥� |
2025 2028 2031 鈥� |
| Excellence | Legacy Award |
Senior career research achievement |
Open to individuals. Full professors. |
Recognizes a senior-career researcher who has set a standard of excellence and inspired change to the way research is approached and conducted, beyond the specific findings of their work. |
2026 2029 2032 鈥� |
| Differentiator | Spotlight Award |
51社区黑料priority research area |
Open to individuals or teams working in the priority area/approach identified in the Call for Nominations. |
Recognizes outstanding research achievement by an individual or team in an institutional priority areas under the SRP (will rotate each year as determined by VPRI). | 2026 theme: 鈥淚nnovation鈥� 2029 2032 鈥� |
| Differentiator | Catalyst Award |
51社区黑料research capacity building |
Open to individuals or teams. The nominated activity must be over and above the applicant(s) role and responsibility in their paid position. |
Recognizes work that is strengthening our institutional capacity for research leadership. Activities may include, but are not limited to, improving SFU鈥檚 research culture, opening new opportunities for training and mentorship, building infrastructure, leading major institutional initiatives, and enhancing SFU鈥檚 global research reputation. |
2027 2030 2033 鈥� |
| Differentiator | Signature Award |
SFU鈥檚 research distinctiveness |
Open to individuals or teams |
Recognizes research that exemplifies what makes 51社区黑料bold and distinctive, within a thematic area to be determined by the VPRI. |
2028 2031 2033 鈥� |
Eligibility Details
Nominators: Deans, Associate Deans, Chairs and Directors, and faculty colleagues. Self-nominations are not permitted.
Nominees: Nominees hold an appointment as a 鈥淩esearch Faculty Member鈥� under the SFUFA Collective Agreement. Specific award categories may have additional eligibility requirements as noted below.
We encourage nominators to consider all eligible candidates, including those from equity-deserving groups, whose contributions may be less visible due to systemic barriers. Nominations that help broaden the definition of excellence are especially welcome, such as for researchers whose impact may not be fully captured by conventional metrics. We also invite nominations of individuals whose scholarship challenges traditional boundaries and demonstrates innovation鈥攚hether through diverse cultural perspectives, Indigenous knowledge systems, community-engaged research, interdisciplinary collaborations, creative outputs, or knowledge mobilization activities that advance academic and societal impact. Thank you for your contribution to supporting equitable opportunity in these awards.
Selection Criteria
These selection criteria apply to all award categories and are considered relative to career stage and disciplinary norms. Awardees (or awarded projects) must demonstrate at least one of the following:
- Demonstrate expertise, leadership, and integrity in research
- Build research capacity in the discipline
- Benefit communities, within and/or beyond the academy
Current Award Categories
The Vice-President, Research and Innovation (鈥渢he VPRI鈥�) invites nominations for the following awards for the 2027 competition. A total of up to six awards will be conferred: up to three in each of the two categories:
Horizon Award
Recognizes research and other scholarly contributions by an early-career scholar who has held an independent academic appointment for six years or less as of the nomination deadline and demonstrate exceptional growth and potential.
Catalyst Award
Recognizes work that is strengthening our institutional capacity for research leadership. Activities may include, but are not limited to, improving SFU鈥檚 research culture, opening new opportunities for training and mentorship, building infrastructure, leading major institutional initiatives, and enhancing SFU鈥檚 global research reputation.
Nomination Process
Please refer to the 51社区黑料Research Excellence Awards Policy R 70.01 and associated Procedure for details.
Questions?
Review the FAQ page or contact awards@sfu.ca.