Celebrating Excellence in Biology

Thursday, May 30, 2024

This week, students and faculty in the Department of Biology gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of their colleagues at the 2024 Biology Awards.

Awards were presented to undergraduate and graduate students as well as teaching staff. A reception followed the event, allowing students and staff to mingle and connect.

Congratulations to all award recipients!

A woman speaking at the front of a lecture hall.
A group of students in front of a white curtain.
Students standing around a long reception table.
Students chatting against a blue wall.

Undergraduate awards

Professor Marilyn Griffith Senior Honours Project Excellence Award

Established in memory of our colleague and friend, Dr. Marilyn Griffith, to recognize outstanding performance by an undergraduate student in a senior honours project.

  • Noah Rogozynski

Biology Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Award

  • Nathalie Balbontin (Winter 2024)

John Carter Memorial Award

Established to help perpetuate Dr. John Carter’s spirit and enthusiasm for field studies, awarded to an undergraduate student enrolled in an ecology-based field course.

  • Amanda Armstrong

  • Graduate awards

    Biology Graduate Teaching Assistant Award

    • Claire Schon (Winter 2024)

    Brian M. Jessop Graduate Scholarship in Fisheries Science

    • Sana Gavarikar

    Davis Memorial Scholarship in Ecology

    Established in the memory of Robert M. and Doreen M. Davis and awarded to a graduate student in the field of ecology.

    • Ryan Leys

    Dr. Hugh Bernard Noel Hynes Memorial Graduate Scholarship

    • Beatriz Nogueira E Figueira

    E.B. Dumbroff Award

    • Hanna Hickey

    Image of the Year Award

    • Liahm Ruest

    J. Frank Brookfield Memorial Graduate Scholarship

    • Yubing Chen

    John E. Thompson Biology Graduate Scholarship

    • Ryan Leys

    Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Canada Graduate Scholarship (Master’s)

    • Yasmeen Alshehabi
    • Genna Coletta

    NSERC Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship (Master’s)

    • Michela Contursi
    • Filip Cotra
    • Sepidar Golestaneh
    • Hanna Hickey

    NSERC Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship (Doctoral)

    • Ryan Leys

    NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship (Doctoral)

    • Emma Collington

    NSERC Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships program

    • Harold Hodgins

    ​​​​​Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) 2023-2024

    • Allison Veronica Weber
    • Meredith Watson

    Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) 2024-2025

    • Emilie Montreuil Strub
    • Josh Pickering
    • Beatriz Nogueira E Figueira
    • Kevin Shen
    • Jessica Turecek
    • Alex Umbach

    Provost Doctoral Excellence Award for Women

    • Emilie Montreuil Strub
    • Shahrzad Zahedifar

    Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology

    • Yubing Chen
    • Nathanael Harper
    • Gab Izma
    • Aranksha Thakor
    • Hannah Thibault

    Ram and Lekna Tumkur Memorial Graduate Scholarship

    • Noah Rogozynski
    • Eddie Wu

    Science Senate Graduate Scholarship

    • Rachel Beaver

    Waterloo Pioneers of Microbiology Graduate Award

    • Anjali Krishna
    • Anastasiia Kurnosova
    • Abtin Roostan
    • Anja Skrobonja

    W.S. Rickert Graduate Student Fellowship in Science

    Established in honour of Dr. Bill Rickert, alumnus (PhD ’68) and entrepreneur, and awarded to a student working in nano-medicine, biotechnology or bio-medicine.

    • Nicole Schulz

    Weston Family Award in Northern Research (Master’s)

    Support for young Canadian scientists pursuing research in Canada's North.

    • Amy Lacey

    For more information about these awards and how to apply, visit our Graduate Studies Funding and Awards page.


    Faculty and staff awards

     The Lili Pasternak Staff Excellence Award

    To recognize outstanding performance by a staff member who consistently demonstrates exceptional performance in all areas of their contribution to the department.        

    • Karen Miinch

    The Professor Jack Carlson Teaching Excellence Award

    In memory of Jack Carlson, a long-standing faculty member in the department of Biology who was recognized for his teaching excellence. He taught human anatomy, comparative animal physiology and vertebrate reproductive physiology.  His research was focused on reproductive biology and luteal regression, which led him to investigate the mechanisms of aging.

    • Laura Lemieux