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Dean's Awards of Excellence Recipients
2024 Awardees
Dean's Award of Excellence in Early Career Research
Shawn Chartrand, Assistant Professor, School of Environmental Science
Shawn Chartrand is the recipient of the 2024 Dean’s Award of Excellence in Early Career Research for his exemplary research creativity and impact.
In 2023, Chartrand’s research published in Nature Communications demonstrated how arctic stream networks are developing in response to climate change, improving our understanding of how these sensitive landscapes will respond to warming temperatures and attracting diverse and widespread media coverage. Chartrand has also been running innovative lab experiments to advance understandings of how riverbeds erode in frozen ground and fostering emerging collaborations with Parks Canada to address climate change challenges.
Dean's Award of Excellence in Graduate Student Mentorship
Dongya Yang, professor, Department of Archaeology
Dongya Yang is the recipient of a 2024 Dean’s Award of Excellence in Graduate Student Mentorship for his positive impact on graduate student success and overall nature of his mentorship activities.
Yang is committed to providing hands on DNA lab training for his graduate students and creates networking and funding opportunities that enable them to present at conferences and participate in research collaborations both in Canada and internationally. He fosters a positive and supportive lab culture, hosting regular meetings that enhance understandings of advancements in the field, encourage critical analysis and nurture professional growth. Yang has also supported graduate students through his role as the Faculty’s Associate Dean of Research and Graduate studies from 2016-2022 and Archaeology Graduate Program Chair from 2011 - 2013.
Ruth Joy, Assistant professor, and Graduate Program Chair School of Environmental Science
Ruth Joy is the recipient of a 2024 Dean’s Award of Excellence in Graduate Student Mentorship for her positive impact on graduate student success and commitment to mentorship activities.
Joy has secured over 22 Mitacs Accelerate awards to support her students and expose them to collaborations with a range of industry partners working in ocean conservation. Joy has co-authored numerous peer reviewed publications, industry and government reports based on student, citizen scientist and A.I.-assisted animal and vessel detection data. Her graduate students have secured prestigious fellowships including the Liber Ero Postdoctoral Fellowship and have been recognized by media for their contributions to advancing detection algorithms that are key to real-time mitigation of human impacts on species-at risk. In addition, her students note that her research project management acts as a model for research leadership and that her mentorship empowers them to take on new challenges and advance their professional development.
Dean's Award of Excellence in Research
Michael Richards, Professor, Department of Archaeology
Michael Richards is the recipient of the 2024 Dean’s Award of Excellence in Research for his extraordinary research creativity, impact and dissemination and community engagement.
From 2022 through 2023, Richards’ research using sulfur and compound specific isotope analyses has made significant contributions to the field and has become a standard practice for dietary isotope analysis in archaeology, forensic science and ecology. During this time, he published 14 co-authored articles and three book chapters and received approximately 4,500 Google Scholar citations. In addition, in 2023, Richards’ Teir 1 Canada Research Chair in Archaeological Science was renewed, and he was awarded a SSHRC Partnership Development grant for his collaboration with BC Indigenous Partners.
Dean's Award of Excellence in Teaching
Andrew Perkins, Senior Lecturer, Department of Geography
Andrew Perkins is the recipient of the 2024 Dean’s Award of Excellence in Teaching for his innovative teaching methods, contributions to pedagogy development and commitment to student success.
From 2022 to 2023, Perkins continued development of two textbooks based on open-access resources, three lab manuals and contributed significantly to BC Open Campus’ provincial geoscience lab manual. He also received a 2023 FENV Innovations in Indigenous Teaching and Learning Grant to decolonize and Indigenize his course curriculum and completed a project comparing student experiences in geoscience courses to the skills and approaches used by geoscience professionals. Student testimonials demonstrate how Perkins’ effective communication and use of hands-on learning have enriched their learning experiences.
2022 Awardees
Dean's Award of Excellence in Teaching
- Tara Holland, lecturer, School of Environmental Science and Department of Geography
- Robert Muir, senior lecturer, Department of Archaeology
Dean's Award of Excellence in Research
- Ruth Joy, assistant professor, School of Environmental Science
- Jesse Hahm, assistant professor, Department of Geography
2020 Awardees
Dean's Award of Excellence in Teaching
- Scott Harrison, lecturer, School of Resource and Environmental Management
- David Maxwell, senior lecturer, Department of Archaeology
Dean's Award of Excellence in Research
- Hugo Cardoso, professor, Department of Archaeology
- Jeremy Venditt, professor, School of Environmental Science