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Research and Scholarship Excellence Award

 

2025 Recipient  |  Eligibility  |  Criteria  |  Nomination  |  Application  |  Past Recipients


The Research and Scholarship Excellence Award celebrates excellence in research and scholarship by a tenured faculty member at Mount Royal. This prestigious award honours faculty members who demonstrate a well-established program of research and scholarship with original and innovative contributions to their field of knowledge.

Recipients of the Research and Scholarship Excellence Award receive a monetary award of $500 (choice of a cash honorarium, professional development funds or donation to a Mount Royal scholarship), a letter signed by the provost and vice-president, academic, and a framed certificate.

Award recipients are also recognized on Mount Royal's Faculty Excellence Awards website and at the Faculty Excellence Celebration in May. They may also be recognized through other channels.

Up to two awards may be granted each year.


 

2025 Award Recipient

 

Dr. Trevor Day

Dr. Trevor Day

Professor

Department of Biology
Faculty of Science and Technology

 

Dr. Trevor Day, PhD, stands at the forefront of the research world, physically and metaphorically. He has led seven high-altitude fieldwork expeditions to the Nepal Himalayas, the United States and Bolivia, facilitating paid research assistant positions for 77 Mount Royal students and publishing over 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts.

Having joined Mount Royal in 2007, Trevor established a research program in the Department of Biology, supported by nearly $1.5 million in operational research funding and $180,000 in student salaries. He developed a model that integrates his teaching and research interests in applied human physiology.

“Trevor has played a pivotal role in fostering a culture of research excellence at Mount Royal,” says Dr. Laura Atkinson, PhD, an assistant professor and colleague in the Department of Biology. “His ability to build a thriving research program at an undergraduate institution demonstrates both creativity and perseverance. He inspires faculty members across disciplines to integrate research into their teaching, strengthening Mount Royal’s scholarly community.”

Trevor secured the first U.S. National Science Foundation grant among his peers in the Faculty of Science and Technology. He was also the first to secure — and subsequently the first to renew — an NSERC Discovery grant, helping to build institutional capacity for Tri-Council funding.

 


2025 Awards Adjudication Committee

Member Title
Dr. Connie Van der Byl Associate Vice-President, Research, Scholarship and Community Engagement (Chair)
Dr. Kenna Olsen Vice-Dean, Faculty of Arts
Dr. Leah Hamilton Vice-Dean, Faculty of Business and Communication Studies
Dr. Mark Lafave Associate Dean, Faculty of Health, Community and Education
Dr. Gwen O'Sullivan Vice-Dean, Faculty of Science and Technology
Francine May Associate Dean, University Library
Melissa Dean Director, Office of Research, Scholarship and Community Engagement

Award requirements

 


Past recipients

 

 


Return to Faculty Excellence Awards


The Faculty Excellence Awards are administered through Academic Affairs, as part of Mount Royal’s Celebrate U framework for employee rewards and recognition.