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Congratulations to the 2024 recipients of the Faculty of Science Research Awards

November 21, 2024

Simon Fraser University Faculty of Science is proud to celebrate the achievements of outstanding researchers with the annual Faculty of Science Research Awards.

These awards recognize the excellence in research accomplishments in a broad range of areas, including, but not limited to: career achievement, recent breakthroughs, translational impact, innovation and societal impacts. Recipients are selected by members of the Faculty of Science Research Committee. 

Early Career Research Awards

Chris Napier
Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology

Dr. Napier’s research focuses on biomechanics and wearable technology to assess and inform human movement, with an emphasis on the effects of footwear on biomechanics, performance, and injury prevention. Since joining SFU in 2022, he has been awarded a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Health Professional-Investigator award, the BPK Early Career Faculty Research Award and the prestigious ACSM Biomechanics Interest Group Early Career Award. These accolades reflect the impact and quality of his research, which positions him as a leader in biomechanics and sport physiotherapy. He was also lauded for his knowledge mobilization work based on his research which often centres on women and the role of sex differences in injury and footwear design for runners. 

Valentin Jaumouillé 
Molecular Biology and Biochemistry

Dr. Jaumouillé has made impressive progress in his research which seeks to understand how cancer cells avoid being attacked by our immune systems and engulfed by cells called macrophages. Understanding the mechanical signals that trigger this process could reveal how it might be exploited to promote engulfment of cancer cells as a novel immunotherapy. He has secured substantial research funding including operating grants from CIHR, NSERC and the Cancer Research Society. In recognition of his outstanding potential, he was recently awarded a Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar award.

Faculty Research Awards

Ryan Morin
Molecular Biology and Biochemistry

Dr. Morin has established a national and international reputation as a leader in lymphoma genomics. His program uses a multidisciplinary approach to identify, classify and functionally characterize genetic alterations that drive both the development of B-cell lymphomas and patient outcomes and responses to chemotherapies. Dr. Morin pioneered the use of whole genome sequencing to identify mutations that underlie common forms of lymphoma. He is recognized for his success in obtaining research funding and salary awards, including from CIHR and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research. He was the first Canadian to receive an American Society for Hematology (ASH) Junior Scholar Award and he recently was awarded the Canadian Cancer Society Bernard and Francine Dorval Prize in recognition of his outstanding contributions to biomedical research leading to improved treatments for lymphoid cancers.

Hua-Zhong (Hogan) Yu
Chemistry

Dr. Yu is recognized for leading a challenging, interdisciplinary program that spans a broad range of topics in the areas of analytical, physical, and materials chemistry. His innovation of adapting mobile electronics (office scanners, disc players, and smartphones) for portable molecular analysis and his contribution to the de novo construction of ultrasensitive electronic biosensors for disease markers has advanced the technology for performing many quantitative chemical analyses on-site and biomedical diagnostic tests in point-of-care settings. His expertise has been recognized through numerous awards from national and international societies, including the Canadian Society for Chemistry W.A.E. McBride Medal. Notably, his achievements were recognized in 2021 when he was inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Award winners were selected by the following Research Awards Committee representatives:

  • Esther Verheyen, Chair, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
  • David Broun, Physics
  • Ronald Ydenberg, Biological Sciences
  • Roger Linington, Chemistry
  • Katrina Honigs, Mathematics
  • Andrew Blaber, Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology
  • Sergio Sepulveda, Earth Sciences

The committee would like to note that all the nominations received this year for both categories were for male faculty. The committee strongly urges departments and Chairs to consider EDI in their nominations in future.

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