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NSERC honours Canadian Nobel laureates
New prizes for research excellence named for Drs. Donna Strickland and Arthur McDonald
General news Professors
November 25, 2020
As Canadians, we are justifiably proud of our accomplishments in the natural sciences and engineering, and we not only celebrate those whose breakthrough discoveries have led to international prestige beyond our borders, but we look to them as an inspiration as we continue to push the frontiers of knowledge.
That’s why the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) is honouring Canada’s most recent science Nobel laureates by launching prizes in their names that will highlight Canadian research excellence. The prizes are the NSERC Donna Strickland Prize for Societal Impact of Natural Sciences and Engineering Research and the Arthur B. McDonald Fellowships.
Valued at $250,000, the NSERC Donna Strickland Prize for Societal Impact of Natural Sciences and Engineering Research will be awarded annually to an individual or team whose outstanding research has led to exceptional benefits for Canadian society, the environment and/or the economy. Any NSERC-funded researcher, regardless of their career stage, can be nominated for this award for research conducted in Canada.
The Arthur B. McDonald Fellowships recognize early-stage academic researchers in the natural sciences and engineering and support them to enhance their research capacity, so that they can become global leaders in their field. Worth $250,000 over two years, these awards were previously known as the EWR Steacie Memorial Fellowships and more than 220 have been offered since the prize was introduced in 1965.
Unlike NSERC’s other prizes, which recognize previous research accomplishments, the McDonald prize supports on-going and future research and therefore comes with an additional grant of up to $180,000 to the winner’s university to fund a replacement for the winner’s teaching and administrative responsibilities.
“Canadians can be justly proud of our Nobel laureates and I wish to thank both Dr. Strickland and Dr. McDonald for lending their names and their prestige to these prizes. They are beacons to all of us and an inspiration to both experienced scientists and engineers as well as the students and young researchers they mentor.”
Dr. Alejandro Adem, NSERC President
Associated Links
The NSERC Donna Strickland Prize for Societal Impact of Natural Sciences and Engineering Research
The Arthur B. McDonald Fellowships
