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Faculty Honours and Awards

Faculty Honours & Awards

Celebrating excellence in research, teaching, and academic achievement across the Faculty of Social Science.

Faculty Honours & Awards

Celebrating excellence in research, teaching, and academic achievement across the Faculty of Social Science.

Faculty Honours and Awards

Faculty Honours & Awards

Celebrating excellence in research, teaching, and academic achievement across the Faculty of Social Science.

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Faculty Honours and Awards

The Faculty of Social Science is home to many award winning and highly-distinguished academics, recognized for their research contributions and teaching ability. 

External

In 1986, the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) and 3M Canada partnered to recognize exceptional contributions to teaching and learning in Canadian post-secondary education. The 3M National Teaching Fellowship is Canada’s most prestigious recognition of excellence in educational leadership and teaching at the university and college level.

  • Wendy Pearson, Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies (2019)
  • Anton Allahar, Sociology (2005)
  • Michael Atkinson, Psychology (1998)
  • Donald Cartwright, Geography and Environment (1996)
  • Harry Murray, Psychology (1992)
Each year, the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Association (OCUFA) recognizes outstanding teachers and academic librarians in Ontario universities through its Teaching and Academic Librarianship Awards. This award recognizes those who excel in any level of instruction, whether graduate and undergraduate teaching, continuing education, or faculty development. The award celebrates excellency in activities such as course design, curriculum development, organization of teaching programs, and other significant forms of leadership that are often important contributions to the instructional process.

  • Anton Allahar, Sociology (2004)
  • William Fisher, Psychology (1988)
  • Harry Murray, Psychology (1983)
  • Donald Cartwright, Geography and Environment (1980)
  • Charles Levine, Sociology (1979)
  • Edward Pleva, Geography and Environment (1977)
  • Craig Simpson, History (1975)
  • Carl Grindstaff, Sociology (1974)
  • Martin Westmacott, Political Science (1974)
The Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) Teaching Excellence Awards are presented annually to professors from each of its member campuses, who excel at unlocking the potential of Ontario’s young people and have been selected by their students as examples of teaching excellence.

  • Kate Graham, Political Science (2025)
  • Riley Hinson, Psychology (2024)
  • John Paul Minda, Psychology (2023)
  • Thomas Tieku, Political Science & International Relations (2022)
  • Tyler Pattenden, Psychology (2021)
  • Radoslav Dimitrov, Political Science (2016)
  • Benjamin Lester, Economics (2010)
The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) was established under an act of parliament in 1883 as Canada’s national academy. Election to Fellowship in the Royal Society of Canada is one of the highest honours that can be attained by Canadian scholars, researchers, and artists. Fellows are peer-elected as the best in their field, and represent top intellectual leadership. Their exceptional achievements are evidenced by a body of publications, intellectual endeavours, or creative activities exhibiting original contributions in the arts, humanities, or sciences, as well as activities in public life.

Fellows of the Royal Society:

The College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists a branch of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC), provides recognition for the emerging generation of Canadian scholars, artists, and scientists who have demonstrated a high level of achievement in an early and highly productive stage of their careers into a collegium of their diverse intellectual, cultural, and social perspectives.

University

Established in 2005, The Distinguished University Professor Award recognizes sustained excellence in scholarship over a substantial career at Western.

Established in 2005, the Faculty Scholars Award recognizes significant recent scholarly achievements in teaching or research.

The Hellmuth Prizes for Achievement in Research recognizes and celebrates the research achievements of our most distinguished faculty members. Recognizes faculty members at the Full Professor level who are world-class scholars with a substantial body of work who have demonstrated sustained research, creative and/or scholarly leadership and excellence, and whose ideas and research outputs have made enduring contributions and impacts to their discipline and/or on broader society.

The Outstanding Scholar Award recognizes Western faculty members at the Associate Professor level who have produced exceptional research, scholarly and/or creative contributions and have clear potential for ongoing excellence, significance and impact in their discipline and/or broader society.

The Angela Armitt Award for Excellence in Teaching by Part-Time Faculty was established to recognize Part-Time members of faculty.

  • Annie Morin, Psychology (2026)
  • Jacob Evoy, Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies (2025)
  • Lauren Barr, Sociology (2020)
  • Marla Wolf, Psychology (2011)
  • Nigmendra Narain, Political Science (2006)
The Edward G. Pleva Award for Excellence in Teaching was established to recognize continuing members of full-time faculty.

The Marilyn Robinson Award for Excellence in Teaching was established to recognize a continuing member of full-time faculty who is appointed either as Limited Term or Probationary at Western or at an Affiliated University College.

  • Dan Bousfield, Political Science (2017)
  • Miranda Green-Barteet, Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies (2017)
  • Benjamin Lester, Economics (2011)
  • Kim Verwaayen, Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies (2009)
The Vice-Provost (Academic Programs) Award for Excellence in Collaborative Teaching recognizes instructors whose exemplary collaborations in university teaching enhance student learning.

Western University's Award of Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching is co-presented by The University Student’s Council and UWO Alumni Association, to recognize, celebrate and award innovative teaching methods and techniques demonstrated by Western’s finest faculty members. Nominations for this award are accepted from the student body only.

  • Philip King, DAN Management and Organizational Studies (2019)
  • Nigmendra Narain, Political Science (2019)
  • Anton Allahar, Sociology (2017)
  • Nicholas Kahnert, DAN Management and Organizational Studies (2016)
  • Sarah Ross, DAN Management and Organizational Studies (2016)
  • Peter Ferguson, Political Science (2014)
  • Peter Ferguson, Political Science (2009)
  • Charles Jones, Political Science (2009)
  • Robert Wardhaugh, History (2008)
  • Radoslav Dimitrov, Political Science (2007)
  • Charles Levine, Sociology (2006)
  • Craig Simpson, History (2005)
  • Kim Verwaayen, Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies (2005)
  • Joanna Quinn, Political Science (2004)
  • Anton Allahar, Sociology (2003)
  • Bruce Morrison, Political Science (2003)
  • Laura Melnyk Gribble, Psychology (2001)
  • Sonia Halpern, Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies (1999)
  • Jerry White, Sociology (1999)
  • Michael Lusztig, Political Science (1997)
  • Andres Perez, Political Science (1997)
  • Anton Allahar, Sociology (1996)
  • Michael Atkinson, Psychology (1996)
This award recognizes and rewards the contributions of faculty members who have significantly improved the experience and outcomes of their students through the intentional incorporation of technology into their teaching practice.