York University professor Kerry Kawakami is among this year’s fellow inductees to the Royal Society of Canada (RSC), joining 103 other newly elected fellows from across the country, in addition to associate professors Elizabeth Clare and Sean Hillier who were elected as members to the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.
Induction into the RSC is one of the country’s highest honours in the arts, social sciences and sciences. The honour recognizes Canadian scholars, artists and scientists for their career achievements and positive contributions to public life.
“Professors Kawakami, Clare and Hillier are accomplished researchers and represent the very best of York’s community of changemakers, whose pursuit of research excellence is limitless,” said Amir Asif, vice-president research and innovation. “Their RSC appointments speak to the impact and significance of their work in social psychology, biology and Indigenous health policy. On behalf of the entire University, I congratulate them on their well-deserved honours.”
Kawakami is a professor in the Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Health, the Walter Gordon York Research Chair in Equity and Diversity, and the director of the Social Cognition Lab. Her research focuses on how individuals perceive others from different social groups, intergroup bias, and strategies to reduce prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination.
Clare is an associate professor in the Department of Biology in the Faculty of Science, and the director of the Clare Lab, where she and her team develop and apply novel technologies to monitor biodiversity. Clare’s research pioneers the use of airborne DNA to study biodiversity at continental scales.
Hillier is an associate professor in the Faculty of Health, York Research Chair in Indigenous Health Policy and the associate director of Connected Minds: Neural and Machine Systems for a Healthy, Just Society, York’s more than $318-million research initiative. His research spans the topics of aging, living with HIV and other infectious diseases, and One Health, with an emphasis on policy affecting health-care access for Indigenous Peoples.
Soliyana Yared, a 2024 graduate from Osgoode Hall Law School, is this year’s recipient of the Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella Award, which is given to graduating law students who are likely to positively influence equity and social justice in Canada or globally.
The RSC will celebrate new fellows, members and award recipients at an official event hosted by Simon Fraser University from Nov. 7 to 9.