Senate Research Committee: Research Excellence Awards

The Senate Research Committee is pleased to offer annual Research Excellence Awards that recognize outstanding recent research/creative output activity by Lakehead University faculty. Each year, the $500 award may be given to three eligible applicants, one in Sciences and Engineering, one in Health Sciences, and one in Humanities and Social Sciences.  A scholar whose work bridges these intellectual categories must apply in only one area, and the application should provide a rationale for inclusion in a particular category in this situation. These awards recognize research/creative output achievements in the previous three-year period.
 

1. Sciences and Engineering (including biomedical sciences):

  • Natural Sciences and Engineering:  Research primarily in the natural sciences and engineering. advancing knowledge in one or more of the natural science or engineering disciplines. 

  • Bio-medical Research:  Research with the goal of understanding normal and abnormal human functioning, at the molecular, cellular, organ system and whole body levels, including development of tools and techniques to be applied for this purpose; developing new therapies or devices that improve health or the quality of life of individuals, up to the point where they are tested on human subjects; studies on human subjects that do not have a diagnostic or therapeutic orientation.


2. Health Sciences (excluding bio-medical sciences):

  • Clinical Research:  Research with the goal of improving the diagnosis and treatment (including rehabilitation and palliation) of disease and injury; improving the health and quality of life of individuals as they pass through normal life stages; research on, or for the treatment of, patients (ie., patient care and caregiver experience).

  • Health Services Research:  Research with the goal of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of health professionals and the health care system, through changes to practice and policy. Health services research is a multidisciplinary field of scientific investigation that studies how social factors, financing systems, organizational structures and processes, health technologies, and personal behaviours affect access to health care, the quality and cost of health care, and, ultimately, Canadians' health and well-being.

  • Social, Cultural, Environmental and Population Health:  Research with the goal of improving the health of the Canadian population, or of defined sub-populations, through a better understanding of the ways in which social, cultural, environmental, occupational and economic factors determine health status.

  • Psychology: Research in psychology that has direct relevance to or ultimate impact on human health.

3. Humanities and Social Sciences:  Research primarily in the social sciences and humanities with the primary outcome being to add to our understanding and knowledge of individuals, groups, and societies - what we think, how we live and how we interact with each other and the world around us.  Examples include, but are not limited to, cultural studies and practices, political and economic systems (not including health), community development, education, epistemological research, etc.

 
 
Eligibility
 
1. All Lakehead University tenured and tenure-track faculty members and three-year Limited Term Appointments are eligible. 
2. A faculty member may receive only one award every three years. 
3. A faculty member may not receive a Research Excellence Award for research/creative output activities that have previously been recognized with a Contributions to Research Award, a Research Excellence Award, or a Distinguished Researcher Award.
 
Applications from applicants who are not tenure-track, tenured or three-year limited term faculty will be considered by the SRC on a case-by-case basis.
 
Application and Deadline
 
The application package for this award can be found in the Romeo Research Portal and requires care and attention on the part of the applicant to ensure that the Senate Research Committee receives all of the required information.  Please note there is a character limit in each field within the Romeo form.
 
Applicants must submit completed electronic application packages through the Romeo Research Portal prior to 11:59 p.m. on January 10 each year. Should the deadline fall over a weekend, applications will be due the following business day.
 
The award(s) will be presented during Research and Innovation Week. Winners are encouraged to attend and receive the award in person. Please contact the Senate Research Committee’s Administrative Officer for additional information, by email at ea.vpri@lakeheadu.ca.
 
Supporting Documentation
 
The following documentation must be submitted by the applicant: 
 
1. At least two letters of support from faculty peers, which may include a Chair, Director, or Dean, peers external to Lakehead University, or research collaborators. 
 
2. Applicants whose research/creative output activity involves community engaged research must include at least one letter of support from community partners or collaborators as part of the required two letters of support. 
 
NOTE: Letters of support should clearly indicate if the person writing in support has worked with the applicant, and in what capacity. Letters must speak to the excellence and/or impact of the work. At least one letter from a faculty peer must be from someone who does not have a conflict of interest with the applicant, as defined by the Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Guidelines and Procedures for Research Review and Oversight Committees. If two letters of support are from those who have worked with the applicant, an additional letter from someone who does not have a conflict of interest with the applicant is required. 
 
3. Applicants must demonstrate the relevance and significance of their research/creative output activities in the previous three years. A CV is not required, but applicants must provide a list of the relevant research/creative output (i.e., publications, funding (if applicable)) in the previous three years, supported by copies, links to, or other evidence of the applicant’s scholarly work/research/creative activity. When more than one author is listed on a publication, please explain your role according to disciplinary norms. Applicants can address any career interruptions or other factors that may have impacted their record of research/creative output achievement in the application on the Romeo Research Portal. Applicants can also elaborate on non-traditional academic accomplishments in the application. 
 
4. Applicants in Music may include musical compositions (indicate whether commissioned), public music performances/recordings, and/or editing of musical manuscripts or published music editions. 
 
5. Applicants in Visual Arts may include curated exhibitions (indicate whether solo or group and whether in public or artist-run gallery), non-curated exhibitions, and invitations to serve as Artist-in-Residence or workshop leader for public or institutional programs.
 
Criteria for the Award
 
The primary criterion for the award is research excellence in the applicant's field within the previous three-year period. The Senate Research Committee defines “research excellence” as including, but not limited to, originality of the research/creative output, impact (or potential impact) of the research, quality of research/creative collaborations, scholarly productivity, training of HQP, etc. Please note that consideration is given to both the quality and quantity of research and creative outputs and activities. External funding is not a necessary or sufficient criterion to receive an award. It is up to the applicants and their referees to provide the information required by the multidisciplinary committee to understand disciplinary assessment norms to determine research excellence. Applicants should note that the Committee may not always have members from the applicant’s discipline. 
 
Applicants may request that a member of the Senate Research Committee not be involved in the review of their application due to a conflict of interest. Conflicts of interest may be declared as part of the application in the Romeo Research Portal, and identified individuals will be removed from the review of the candidate’s application.
 
Revised September 2016, June 2020, September 2020, June 2021, October 2021, September 2023, November 2024, February 2026.