Four University of Calgary scholars named Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada

The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) has announced their new Fellows for 2020, and four University of Calgary faculty members were among those to receive the prestigious honour. Fellows of the RSC are peer-elected scholars who have made remarkable contributions in the arts, the humanities and the sciences, as well as in Canadian public life.

Dr. Jean Addington, PhD; Dr. Zhangxing (John) Chen, PhD; Professor Clem Martini; and Dr. Marc Strous, PhD, will be formally inducted into the RSC at a ceremony in November.

“The University of Calgary is tremendously proud of our newest fellows of the Royal Society of Canada,” says Dr. Ed McCauley, president and fellow of the RSC. “This is a great honour, reserved for those scholars who have reached the highest levels of academic achievement in our country. I congratulate Drs. Addington, Chen, and Strous, and Professor Martini for this outstanding accomplishment and welcome them to the RSC.”

“The Royal Society of Canada is delighted to recognize this year’s exceptional cohort of inductees as the contributions of these outstanding artists, scholars and scientists have significantly impacted their respective disciplines at both national and international levels,” says Jeremy McNeil, president of the RSC.

• Dr. Jean Addington, PhD (Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Cumming School of Medicine)

Dr. Jean Addington is an internationally recognized researcher, educator and leader in schizophrenia, early psychosis and early prevention of serious mental illness. Dr. Addington’s research with those experiencing a first episode of psychosis led to the development of clinical treatment programs for these young people. Her work has made significant contributions to our understanding of preventive strategies and early interventions in psychiatry, especially for young people at risk of developing psychosis and other serious mental illnesses. Her innovative research program continues to seek to transform the lives of these at-risk youth. 

Learn more about Dr. Addington on her website | Watch Dr. Addington’s 2019 Dean’s Talk on early detection and prevention of serious mental illness

Dr. Addington holds the Novartis Chair in Schizophrenia. She is a member of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, the Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education and the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute.

• Dr. Zhangxing (John) Chen (Professor, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering)

Dr. Zhangxing (John) Chen is an internationally renowned scientist in chemical and petroleum engineering. His exceptional work has led to the establishment of a prominent collaborative research consortium and a spin-off technology company. Chen’s novel work on fluid flow defines the cutting edge of both fundamental and applied research in this area. Chen is also an international authority on the development of computational methods for fluid flow. This extraordinary research has made numerous wide-ranging contributions in multiple areas, such as solid and fluid mechanics, groundwater modeling, and environment science. Chen is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and the Engineering Institute of Canada and has received NSERC’s Synergy Award for Innovation and the Fields-CAIMS Prize.

Learn more about Dr. Chen on his webpage | Tour Dr. Chen’s interactive visualization studio on the Collaboration Centre website

• Professor Clem Martini (Professor, School of Creative and Performing Arts, Faculty of Arts)

Over the course of a celebrated career, Professor Clem Martini has moved minds and hearts as a playwright, librettist, novelist and essayist. His innovative, comedic and social justice-oriented body of work has been shaping Canadian theatre for over 30 years. His award-winning and internationally acclaimed works range in form, breaking conventions and displaying unique artistry. His work encourages audiences to broach the most difficult social and environmental problems, and document the need for social justice-oriented creativity in the arts across Canada.

Learn more about Professor Martini on his website | Read and listen to The Things that Worked by Clem Martini

• Dr. Marc Strous, PhD (Professor, Department of Geoscience, Faculty of Science)

Dr. Marc Strous has made many groundbreaking contributions to microbial ecology, biogeochemistry and environmental biotechnology, and sparked a major revision of the global biogeochemical nitrogen cycle concept. His career has been marked by the discovery of new pathways in biochemistry and microbial symbiosis. Strous is currently building on his ecology and engineering expertise to create a feasible, sustainable net-negative-carbon-dioxide-emissions biotechnology, for counteracting climate change.

Learn more about Dr. Strous on his webpage | Learn more about the Energy Bioengineering and Geomicrobiology group

Nominations for Fellowship in the Royal Society of Canada close December 1, 2020. The Royal Society is the recognized pre-eminent body of independent scholars, researchers and creative people in Canada whose Fellows comprise a collegium that can provide intellectual leadership for the betterment of Canada and the world. Election to Fellowship in the Society is the highest academic accolade in Canada that is available to scientists and scholars. Nominations must be made by a current Fellow and two co-nominators, of which at least one must be another Fellow.

To learn more about the award and how to nominate a scholar, visit the Research website. Nominations for this award are eligible for review by the SUPPORT: Research Awards Committee.