Their work explores everything from agency in urban environments to autonomous vehicles, nanomaterials and age-related disorders.
Eight Concordia researchers were celebrated for their investigations in a wide range of fields at a special reception on August 29. Other honourees at the event included the new cohort of Concordia University Research Chairs as well as this year’s Distinguished University Research Professors.
Christophe Guy, vice-president of Research and Graduate Studies, presented six University Research Awards to Angela Alberga, Cynthia Hammond, Sherry Simon, Rafik Naccache Youmin Zhang, and Vladimir Titorenko, as well as two Petro-Canada Young Innovator Awards to Carolina Cambre and Xiaolei Wang.
On behalf of the university, the vice-president congratulated the recipients on their exceptional contributions to furthering the scholarly and social impact of research at Concordia.
“The University Research Awards and the Petro-Canada Young Innovation Awards recognize outstanding research achievements and leadership. The excellent track records of these faculty members demonstrate the important, wide-ranging power of knowledge and innovation generated at Concordia.”
Other celebrants at the Celebration of Research Excellence included the new cohort of Concordia University Research Chairs, Concordia’s first Distinguished University Research Professors and recipients of several external awards.
Concordia’s University Research Award winners are selected for their exceptional achievements and their contributions to advancing knowledge, building a productive training environment for students and increasing the university’s visibility as a research institution.
Each recipient is awarded $5,000 and holds the title of Concordia University Research Fellow for one year.
The Petro-Canada Young Innovator Awards recognize outstanding young faculty members who are pursuing innovative research that strengthens the learning environment within their departments and has the potential to be of significance to society.
The award, which is made possible by a generous endowment from Suncor Energy, carries a $10,000 research grant.
The University Research Award winners
Angela Alberga, Department of Health, Kinesiology & Applied Physiology
University Research Award in the Person and Society Strategic research cluster (category A)
Angela Alberga's interdisciplinary research program focuses on understanding how institutional, community and societal factors affect weight-related issues — including obesity, eating disorders and physical inactivity — in children and adults.
Alberga is particularly interested in policy and public health efforts aimed at reducing weight stigma and discrimination in health care and education.