Awards and honours

Awards and honours

Our faculty have won many research awards and honours – too many for a complete list. Here are just some highlights.  

This page does not list awards in areas other than research (i.e. teaching awards), nor does it list research grants or funding. It does list awards that consider research along with other factors (i.e. clinical excellence, service to the profession).  

Note that this page does not include research awards earned by faculty cross-listed with the School but whose primary affiliation is elsewhere, nor does it include research awards for students or postdoctoral fellows. 

National and international awards and honours 

• Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada: Dr. Lyndon Jones 

• John Guggenheim Fellow: Dr. Austin Roorda 

• Te Pūiaki Putaiao Matua a Te Pirimia Prime Minister’s Science Prize (New Zealand): Dr. Ben Thompson 

• Rank Prize in Optoelectronics: Dr. Austin Roorda 

• NSERC Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering: Dr. Lyndon Jones and colleagues 

• Carel C. Koch Memorial Medal Award, American Academy of Optometry: Dr. Lyndon Jones 

• British Contact Lens Association Medal: Dr. Lyndon Jones 

• Donald Korb Award, American Optometric Association: Dr. Lyndon Jones 

• Diplomate of the American Academy of Optometry: Dr. Lyndon Jones, Dr. Stanley Woo (diplomates are also Fellows) 

• Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry: Dr. Chelsea Bray, Dr. Lisa Christian, Dr. Kristine Dalton, Dr. Nadine Furtado, Dr. Debbie Jones, Dr. Shamrozé Khan, Dr. Tammy Labreche, Dr. Sarah MacIver, Dr. Paul Murphy, Dr. William Ngo, Dr. Olivia Ricci, Dr. Julie Shalhoub, Dr. Benjamin Thompson 

• Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry: Dr. Andre Stanberry, Dr. Stanley Woo 

• Fellow of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO): Dr. Austin Roorda (gold), Dr. Jennifer Hunter (silver) 

• Optica Fellow: Dr. Jennifer Hunter, Dr. Vasudevan Lakshminarayanan, Dr. Austin Roorda 

• Fellow of SPIE, the International Society for Optics and Photonics: Dr. Vasudevan Lakshminarayanan 

• Fellow of the British Contact Lens Association: Dr. Kristine Dalton, Dr. Debbie Jones, Dr. Lyndon Jones, Dr. Paul Murphy 

• Fellow of the College of Optometrists (United Kingdom) : Dr. Debbie Jones, Dr. Lyndon Jones, Dr. Paul Murphy 

• Fellow of the European Academy of Optometry and Optics: Dr. Paul Murphy 

• Fellow of the Canadian College of Specialties in Optometry: Dr. Sarah MacIver 

• Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences: Dr. Lyndon Jones 

• Fellow of the American Physical Society: Dr. Vasudevan Lakshminarayanan 

• Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science: Dr. Vasudevan Lakshminarayanan 

• Glenn A. Fry Lecture Award, American Academy of Optometry: Dr. Lyndon Jones, Dr. Austin Roorda 

• Max Schapero Memorial Lecture Award, American Academy of Optometry, Section on Cornea, Contact Lenses and Refractive Technologies: Dr. Lyndon Jones 

University awards and honours 

• University Professor: Dr. Lyndon Jones 

• University Research Chair: Dr. Ben Thompson; Dr. Lyndon Jones (2012-2019) 

• Faculty of Science Excellence in Science Research Award: Dr. Ben Thompson 

Awards for papers 

The following is only a small selection of recent honours for specific papers: 

• Garland W. Clay Award for most impactful paper published in the last five years, Optometry and Vision Science: Dr. Debbie Jones and co-authors won in 2025 and also in 2021. 

• Most impactful papers, Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics: A paper by Drs. Elizabeth Irving, Jacob Sivak and Murchison Callender was named #1 most impactful paper published between 1981 and 2024. A paper by Dr. Ben Thompson and co-authors also made the list. 

• Optometric Vision Development & Rehabilitation Association (OVDRA) Journal Article of the Year Award: Dr. Lisa Christian and colleagues (2025) 

Awards and honours for emeritus professors 

Some of the following selection of research awards are held for life; others are past honours. Many retired faculty remain active in research but they do not supervise new graduate students or postdoctoral fellows. 

• Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada: Dr. Jacob Sivak 

• Canada Research Chair in Vision Science: Dr. Elizabeth Irving 

• Senior NSERC Industrial Research Chair: Dr. Jacob Sivak 

• Premier’s Research Excellence Award: Dr. Elizabeth Irving 

• Royal Society of Canada Alice Wilson Award: Dr. Elizabeth Irving 

• Diplomate of the American Academy of Optometry: Dr. Patricia Hrynchak 

• Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry: Dr. Marlee Spafford 

• Fellow of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO): Dr. Trefford Simpson 

• Thomas J. and Margaret D. Tredici Award, Aerospace Medical Association: Dr. Jeff Hovis 

• Aerospace Medical Association Fellow: Dr. Jeff Hovis 

• Charles F. Prentice Medal, American Academy of Optometry: Dr. Jacob Sivak 

• Proctor Medal, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology: Dr. Jacob Sivak 

• William Feinbloom Award, American Academy of Optometry: Dr. George Woo 

• International Association of Contact Lens Educators Lifetime Achievement Award: Dr. Desmond Fonn 

• International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision Emiko Adachi Award: Dr. Daphne McCulloch 

• Glenn A. Fry Lecture Award, American Academy of Optometry: Dr. Jacob Sivak 

• Max Schapero Memorial Lecture Award, American Academy of Optometry: Dr. Desmond Fonn 

• University Professor: Dr. Jacob Sivak 

• University Research Chair: Dr. Elizabeth Irving 

• Distinguished Professor Emeritus: Drs. William Bobier, Tony Cullen, John Flanagan, Desmond Fonn, Jacob Sivak, Graham Strong 

• Aerospace Human Factors Association William E. Collins Award for Outstanding Paper: Dr. Jeff Hovis and colleagues