Congratulations to Professors Avery Broderick, Barb Katzenback, and Ben Thompson for being selected as the first recipients for the new Faculty of Science Excellence in Science Research Award!
This award was established by the Faculty of Science’s Associate Dean of Research, alongside the Science Faculty Awards Committee to recognize outstanding research accomplishments by Science’s faculty members. Each year, one tenure-track and two tenured faculty members will be recognized. It is our hope that these awards will significantly increase the research profile of faculty members in Science, and for those who receive them, strengthen subsequent nominations for external research awards.
Professor Avery Broderick from the Department of Physics and Astronomy, one of the two tenured faculty members recognized with this award, studies the nature of gravity, the least understood of the fundamental forces. Broderick hunts for clues to gravity's nature in the vicinity of its most extreme manifestations – black holes. These are encoded on the night sky and revealed by the Event Horizon Telescope, which captures the astrophysical dramas unfolding on gravity's stage.
“I'm honored by this recognition, which is especially meaningful given that it originates from my colleagues,” says Broderick. “This award will support my group's work on developing the instruments that will follow the Event Horizon Telescope, revealing black holes in ever greater detail.”
Professor Barb Katzenback from the Department of Biology has been selected for this year’s tenure-track award. Her research investigates host-pathogen interactions in amphibians and how environmental stressors, such as exposure to microplastics, alters immune competency against pathogens. This research will generate new knowledge about host and environmental factors that may be contributing to global declines in amphibian populations.
“I am delighted to receive the ESRA and the support that it affords to focus on two research thrusts - uncovering novel immune-evasion mechanisms by amphibian pathogens and how exposure to microplastics impact facets of amphibian immune function.”
Professor Ben Thompson from the School of Optometry and Vision Science is the second tenured faculty member selected for this year’s award. His research goals are to understand the mechanisms that control neuroplasticity in the human brain and to apply this knowledge to the treatment of eye and brain disorders.
“I am honoured to receive this award. I am hopeful that the award will generate opportunities to form new interdisciplinary collaborations with my colleagues within the Faculty of Science and the University of Waterloo as a whole.”
Congratulations to Professor Avery Broderick, Professor Barb Katzenback, and Professor Ben Thompson!