Eligibility

All tenured faculty (defined as Tenured Employees in Mount Royal's faculty collective agreement) who have an established program of research and scholarship at Mount Royal are eligible for this award.

All candidates are expected to demonstrate principles and behaviours consistent with the responsible conduct of research.

All candidates for this award must be nominated.

A faculty member can apply for and be granted more than one award in an academic year. A faculty member may only be granted one Faculty Excellence Award in each category in a lifetime.

Criteria

Nominees are assessed on the demonstration of the following:

• A well-established and sustained program of research and scholarship with original and innovative contributions to their field of knowledge.
  
• An impact on the work of other researchers and scholars, professionals or the community.
  
• An impact on and/or leadership in research and scholarship in a given area, as recognized by peers at multiple levels.
  
• Demonstrates alignment with the priority areas outlined in Mount Royal's 2024-2030 Research and Scholarship Plan:
  • Advance knowledge
  • Inform teaching
  • Promote community engagement

Nomination

Eligibility to nominate

Requirements

• All nominations must be seconded by a full-time or contract faculty member who is not a member of a Faculty Excellence Awards adjudication committee.
• Nominations should be accompanied by a statement that includes the reasons for the nomination (maximum 500 words). Specific reference should be made, where possible, to the nominee's qualifications relative to the criteria.
• Nominations should be submitted to the Office of the Provost and must be completed using the nomination form provided on this webpage during the nomination period.
• An mtroyal.ca email address is required to complete a nomination form. Anonymous emails or testimonials will not be accepted.

Application

Application process

1. All candidates for this award must be nominated.
2. The selection committee receives and reviews all nominations to confirm eligibility.
3. Eligible nominees are invited to apply for the award. They are supplied with detailed application instructions.
4. Applicants have approximately three to four weeks to submit their applications.
5. The selection committee reviews the applications and selects the award recipients.
6. All applicants receive a decision letter from the selection committee.
7. Award recipients are expected to be announced by mid-April.
   
   

Application package

Detailed instructions and an application form (in Google Forms)  will be provided to nominees who are invited to apply. All application materials are to be submitted in PDF format.

The application package includes:

• Cover letter that articulates how the applicant meets the award criteria and their most significant scholarly achievements as they relate to the award.
  • Cover letter must be two (2) pages maximum with a 12-point font, double-spaced.
• Current Curriculum Vitae (any CV format is accepted – an MRU CV is not required)
• Two (2) signed letters of support.
  

Please note:
Applicants are expected to write for an interdisciplinary audience. Acronyms and jargon should be explained. Full citations for articles and grants (year, authorship order, amount, journal name etc.) must be included.

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.

Dr. Matthew McLarnon

Associate Professor
Department of General Management and Human Resources
Faculty of Business and Communication Studies

Dr. Matthew McLarnon is an Associate Professor in the Department of General Management and Human Resources and has worked at Mount Royal since 2019. Over the past decade, he has developed a sustained program of research that spans several domains of business and human resources management, including optimizing teamwork, employee well-being, employee selection, performance management and the use of advanced data analysis techniques.

Matthew’s work also extends into the domains of organizational and clinical psychology, nursing, communication, and pediatric rehabilitation. Through the use of rigorous and advanced quantitative statistical methods, Matthew’s research has pushed the boundaries of knowledge available across numerous areas of research. His work has allowed for the identification of novel avenues for inquiry, providing novel theoretical development opportunities as well as impactful real-world practical implications.

A colleague endorsed Matthew’s nomination, saying, “Dr. McLarnon’s research activities have garnered recognition on the national and international stage, while also enhancing Mount Royal's reputation for research excellence. Dr. McLarnon exemplifies the qualities of a distinguished researcher and he is highly deserving of recognition for his contributions to research, mentorship, and collaboration”.

Noted as a “methodological and analytic superstar,” Matthew has had a great impact on other scholars in his field.

Dr. Jill Parnell

Professor
Department of Health and Physical Education
Faculty of Health, Community and Education

Dr. Jill Parnell joined Mount Royal in 2008 and is a professor in the Department of Health and Physical Education. She is a pioneer in the field of sports nutrition — particularly on dietary patterns and supplement use in health and performance. Her impressive funding record, high number of citations and dissemination outlets, and collaborations with national and international academics, clinicians, and industry partners demonstrate the impact of her work.

Jill is the author of Sports Nutrition Knowledge in Athletes with a Spinal Cord Injury and Coaches of Para Sports, and has also written on the topics of caffeine and exercise performance and dietary supplements in athletes experiencing disability. She has also co-authored a book chapter on nutrition in active people.

Jill is passionate about supporting student research, especially at the undergraduate level, and is regularly engaged in community-based conversations on her work. A former student says of Jill, “It became clear that (Dr. Parnell) sincerely cares about her students, supports their learning, and is passionate about the topics she teaches; all of which highly contributed to my academic success in the class.”

Through her strong collaborative approach to research and passion for supporting students, Jill has demonstrated excellence in research and scholarship at Mount Royal.