Outstanding Faculty Research Awards
Outstanding Faculty Research Awards are conferred annually to faculty and librarians at the emerging, mid-, and established career levels for excellence in research, scholarship, and creative activity.
Established Researchers, Scholars & Artists
At the established level, Outstanding Faculty Research Awards recognize faculty and librarians who are beyond the twelfth year of their career who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in research, scholarship, and creative activity nationally and internationally. The following individuals are the recipients of 2021 Outstanding Faculty Research Award in the Established Researchers, Scholars, and Artists category:
Dr. Carol Davison from the Department of English and Creative Writing is a world-leading expert in Gothic studies who has published widely in venues with global reputations for excellence. Her scholarship is both extensive and intensive, meticulous and creative, and her books have become vital resources in the filed, across a wide range of disciplines, bridging the gap between academe and current culture, where the Gothic continues its pervasive expressions. Dr. Davison is acknowledged for being immensely generous and productive in collaborative scholarship, both as a co-author and as editor of signature book series, creating a nexus for global studies in the field. In the words of a reviewer, Dr. Davison is highly deserving of the Outstanding Faculty Research Award in the Established Researchers, Scholars and Artists category “given the wealth of scholarship by her that nearly all academics would envy and that her colleagues in Gothic studies continue to admire – and appreciate and use – over and over again.”
Dr. Aaron Fisk from the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research is an internationally recognized ecotoxicologist and food web and fish movement ecologist who has published more that 270 journal articles and massed more than $20 million in funding throughout his exceptional career. He specializes in the use of stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur, and acoustic telemetry, working mainly in the Arctic and Great Lakes. Dr. Fisk has earned an h-index of 68, is credited with over 17,900 citations, and sits on numerous national and international research boards. One of his reviewers commented that “Dr. Fisk is considered a leader in the field of aquatic ecology who has greatly elevated the University of Windsor’s reputation in this field”.
Dr. Laverne Jacobs from the Faculty of Law is a national and international leader in disability inclusion and administrative law. Her scholarship in these fields has been pathbreaking and her research has been used by courts and policy makers. Dr. Jacobs has received numerous awards for her research and leadership, including the Touchstone Award from the Canadian Bar Association. In 2021, the federal government named her Canada’s first-ever candidate for election to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Dr. Jacobs was successfully elected to the Committee in June 2022. A reviewer commented that “Dr. Jacobs has a record of original and vitally important scholarly work that is responsive to pressing issues in Canadian society and is richly deserving of the honour of the Outstanding Faculty Research Award in the Established Researchers, Scholars and Artists category."
Dr. Randy Lippert from the Department of Sociology and Criminology is a prolific and accomplished senior criminologist who is recognized internationally as a leader in his field. His work critically examines trends in securitization, surveillance, governance, and law that blunt public and community priorities. Dr. Lippert's scholarship is original and significant, and has had a Canadian and international impact beyond the discipline of criminology. His work has been recognized in the receipt of competitive awards and numerous external grants. In the words of his nominator, Dr. Lippert’s “work is original and has made significant contributions to knowledge” in the field and is “vitally important because it illuminates areas that are opaque and pernicious”.
Dr. Nicole Markotić from the Department of English and Creative Writing is internationally renowned within her fields of expertise of critical disability studies and Canadian poetics and fiction and her work is regularly cited by other scholars. She has been short- and long-listed for several national and provincial book awards, and has won a prestigious national Chapbook Award. Dr. Markotić’s critical books have made significant contributions in disability studies and her creative and critical writing is shaping the next generation of literary artists in Canada and abroad. In the words of one reviewer, “I can think of few others who have achieved so much at this advanced stage of her career and who would be more worthy of this recognition of research excellence.”
At the emerging level, Outstanding Faculty Research Awards recognize faculty and librarians within the first six years of their career who have demonstrated early excellence and future promise in research, scholarship, and creative activity. The following individuals are the recipients of 2021 Outstanding Faculty Research Award in the Emerging Researchers, Scholars, and Artists category:
Dr. Catherine Febria from the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research is a visionary researcher in the field of restoration ecology. Her research program adopts a strategic, partnership-driven and holistic approach to tackle the critical and complex and problem of freshwater restoration in the Great Lakes basin. Widely recognized as a rising star and global leader in restoration ecology, Dr. Febria and her Healthy Headwaters Lab are transforming our approach to improving the health and wellbeing of ecosystems at the local, national and global levels. In the words of one reviewer, “I predict that she and her group will produce innovative science, while advancing conservation – creating avenues for her research to be put into practice and used by those living closely with the land. Her research “is innovative, thoughtful, ethical, and inclusive, and she represents the University of Windsor well.”
Dr. Ofelia Jianu from the Department of Mechanical, Automotive and Materials Engineering is an emerging research leader in next-generation intelligent fuels and hydrogen production methods. She has been continuously placing the University Windsor in the national and international spotlight with her research excellence in hydrogen-based power sources, a research field that is currently trending around the world. With her leadership in clean energy, the University of Windsor is well positioned to become the “green” hydrogen-based energy generation hub. Dr. Jianu continuously generates innovative research and transforms it into success with publications, grants, and industrial collaborations, which she has leveraged to secure grant funding. Her students are winning competitive scholarships and pursuing impactful careers after graduation. As a result of her leadership, Dr. Jianu has been invited to serve as guest editor for special issue in an internationally renowned journal in energy and her research has been adopted by prominent research groups around the world. In the words of her nominator, Dr. Jianu has exceeded expectations in research, research mentorship, publications, and grant funding as an early researcher in all respects” making her most deserving of this award.
Dr. Drew Marquardt from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is an exceptional early career biochemist/biophysicist who is emerging as a national and international frontrunner in the applications of neutrons for materials and health research. Dr. Marquardt is leading a national initiative that is developing an economical next-generation neutron source for Canada. This innovative initiative supports Canada’s long-term scientific and economic global competitiveness, which have been threatened by the retirement of its primary source of neutron beams. In the words of one reviewer, Dr. Marquardt is “a complete package of a dynamic early career neutron scatterer who has made serious research contributions in a most topical field, and who working hard and effectively to develop the field for the benefit of a large cohort of Canadian scientists and engineers.”
As an emerging path breaking voice in financial inclusion, Dr. Shanthi Senthe from the Faculty of Law has expanded our understanding of financial access and economic empowerment. Her community engagement and solution-driven research is creating a new paradigm shift in related areas of commercial spaces ranging from post-war jurisdictions, creative economies and sports law. Her innovative vision of the future of law promises to create new and much needed conversations within the corporate-commercial discourse to facilitate positive changes in communities. In the words of one of her reviewers, “Dr. Senthe is a rising star in her field.”
Outstanding Student Research Awards
Outstanding Student Research Awards are conferred annual to undergraduate and graduate students and their faculty supervisors in recognition of excellence in research, scholarship and creative activity. At both the undergraduate and graduate level, this award recognizes students who have made significant research, scholarly, or creative contributions to their discipline, including but not limited to original published work, inventions and innovative research, or a creative work of writing, art, performance, or music
Graduate Student Research Awards
The following individuals are the recipients of the 2021 Outstanding Graduate Student Research Award:
Supervised by Dr. Narayan Kar from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Dr. Ze Li has already established himself as an outstanding researcher, an innovator, and a valuable contributor to the field of advanced traction motor control and testing methods for electric vehicles at this early stage of his career. His research on novel parameter estimation towards improving electric motor control accuracy and test methods is highly significant to the field and he has been consistently advancing electric vehicle technology as a true leader among his colleagues and pushing the boundaries for implementable innovations for electric vehicle powertrain technology. As his nominator highlighted, Dr. Li’s “is a very talented, inspiring person who will have a brilliant future as an engineer, researcher and scientist.”
Supervised by Dr. Arezoo Emadi of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Haleh Nazemi has already significantly contributed to the field of microelectromechanical systems at this early stage of her career. She has designed novel sensors for lung cancer detection at early stages where no other symptom exists and has proposed a unique approach to improve micromachined sensors’ performance. She has an outstanding number of publications with more than 200 citations within a short period of time and has demonstrated an exceptional leadership skill and she has a passion to promote research, teaching and learning environments. In the words of one of her reviewers, “in a nutshell, Ms. Haleh Nazemi possess a high level of integrity, knowledge, leadership, communication skills”, which make her an excellent candidate for this award.
Undergraduate Student Research Awards
The following individuals are the recipients of the 2021 Outstanding Undergraduate Student Research Award:
Eman El-Masri was an outstanding scholar under the supervision of Dr. Arezoo Emadi of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering who recently completed her undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering with Great Distinction. She performed undergraduate research in the e-Minds Research Center where she successfully designed electronic nose sensors for medical and environmental sensing applications. Her research activities have resulted in the publication of a peer-reviewed journal paper and a book chapter, while being enrolled full-time in her undergraduate program. In the words of her nominator, “Eman has never ceased to impress me with her drive for excellence both in her theoretical studies and well as hands-on experimental research work”. “Her curiosity and dedication to research and discovery in her interdisciplinary research field are very impressive, and she has performed exceptionally well”.