The Vice-Principal Research (VPR) Portfolio promotes researchers' success by helping them attract competitive awards and build their award portfolio throughout their career. Research recognition elevates the potential to attract national and international funds and raises the profiles of the researcher and the institution.
There are a variety of award "types" available:
- Internal awards offered through Queen's, including the Prizes for Excellence in Research
- External awards offered through the tri-council granting agencies and other national or international organizations
- Disciplinary and interdisciplinary awards
Some award competitions solicit institutional nominations by invitation only, and others limit the number of nominations that may be put forward from the university. A variety of nominations are open.
While our primary goal is the submission of these types of awards, we will offer advice and assistance whenever possible to individual departments in the submission of nomination packages for disciplinary prizes.
Please note that most disciplinary awards are managed through individual faculties and departments, often in coordination with the Research Awards Officer.
Queen’s ranks #5 in faculty research awards among Canadian institutions
See a list of Queen's Research AwardsQueen's Research Awards
The Prize for Excellence in Research for Outstanding Emerging Researchers celebrates early career researchers at Queen’s University who have distinguished themselves through their significant contributions to research. Early career researchers are defined as those who have earned their most recent highest degree (e.g., PhD, MD, LLB) in the last ten years.
Provincial and National Awards
The Robbins-Ollivier Award for Excellence in Equity recognizes the contributions that Marjorie Griffin Cohen, Louise Forsyth, Glenis Joyce, Audrey Kobayashi, Shree Mulay, Susan Prentice, Michèle Ollivier and Wendy Robbins have made to increase the level of equity within the Canada Research Chairs Program (CRCP) and Canada’s research ecosystem.
The RSC recognizes leaders in research and innovation in Canada and mobilizes them in open discussion and debate about complex and timely issues. Their integrated interdisciplinary knowledge and understanding is a valuable national resource.
RSC Fellows are recognized for exceptional and original publications, intellectual achievements, and creative activities in three Academies: Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences, and Science.
The RSC College is a multidisciplinary system to recognize the emerging generation of intellectual leadership: those within 15 years of conferral of their PhD (or equivalent) who demonstrate leading scholarly, research or artistic excellence. Members of the College are elected for a period of seven years.
The RSC also confers Medals and Awards in specific disciplines.
The SSHRC Impact Awards recognize outstanding researchers and celebrate their research achievements, research training, knowledge mobilization and outreach activities funded partially or entirely by SSHRC:
- Gold Medal: SSHRC’s highest research honour, awarded to one whose sustained leadership, dedication and originality of thought have inspired both students and colleagues
- Insight Award: Recognizes outstanding achievement arising from a single or multiple SSHRC-funded initiatives which have significantly contributed to knowledge and understanding about people, societies and the world. The research outcomes must have led to demonstrable impact within the nominee’s fields of research and/or beyond the social sciences and humanities research community.
- Connection Award Recognizes an outstanding SSHRC-funded initiative that facilitates the flow and exchange of research knowledge within and/or beyond the social sciences and humanities research community
- Partnership Award Recognizes a SSHRC‑funded formal partnership for its outstanding achievement in advancing research, research training or knowledge mobilization, or developing a new partnership approach to research and/or related activities
NSERC offers a wide range of prizes celebrating exceptional examples of research excellence:
- The Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering: NSERC’s top prize, awarded to one whose body of work, conducted in Canada in the natural sciences or engineering, has demonstrated persistent excellence and influence
- The Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering: Recognizes outstanding Canadian teams of researchers from different disciplines who came together to engage in research drawing on their combined knowledge and skills, and produced a record of excellent achievements in the natural sciences and engineering
- The John C. Polanyi Award: Given to an individual or team whose research, conducted in Canada, has led to a recent outstanding advance in any NSERC-supported field of the natural sciences or engineering
- The NSERC Awards for Science Promotion: Honour those who make an outstanding contribution to the promotion of science in Canada through activities encouraging popular interest in science or developing science abilities; two recipients (one individual and one group) may be selected for the awards each year
- The Synergy Awards for Innovation: Recognize examples of collaboration that stand as models of effective partnership between partner organizations and colleges or universities
- The NSERC Donna Strickland Prize for Societal Impact of Natural Sciences and Engineering Research: Awarded to an individual/team whose outstanding research, conducted in Canada in the natural sciences or engineering, has led to exceptional benefits for Canada’s society, environment and/or economy
- Arthur B. McDonald Fellowships: Recognize early-stage academic researchers in the natural sciences and engineering to enhance their research capacity so that they can become leaders in their field and inspire others
- The Canada Gairdner Momentum Award recognizes 2 mid-career investigators (typically 10-15 years past their first independent research appointment) working in Canada who, in their last 6 active years, have produced exceptional scientific research contributions with continued potential for impact on human health
- The Canada Gairdner International Award is awarded to outstanding biomedical scientists who have made original contributions resulting in an increased understanding of human biology and disease
- The John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award is awarded for scientifically based research that has improved the health and well-being of those facing health inequities worldwide
Learn more about the Canada Gairdner Awards.
- Killam Prizes: Awarded to active Canadian scholars who have distinguished themselves through sustained research excellence, making a significant impact in their respective fields in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, health sciences, and engineering
- Dorothy Killam Fellowships: Provide support to mid-career scholars (no more than 15 years from completing their PhD) of exceptional ability by granting them time to pursue research projects of broad significance and widespread interest within the disciplines of the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, health sciences, engineering or studies linking any of these disciplines
- Killam NRC Paul Corkum Fellowships: Aim to create opportunities for mid-to-late career Canadian and international scholars to collaborate with NRC researchers, supporting advanced study and research excellence and providing scholars access to the NRC’s unique infrastructure and resources
Discover the National Killam Program.
Molson Prizes are awarded to distinguished individuals, one in the arts and one in the social sciences and humanities. The prizes are intended to encourage continuing contributions to the cultural and intellectual heritage of Canada.
Invested by the Governor General of Canada, the Order is the centrepiece of Canada’s honours system, recognizing a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community, and service to the nation for people in all sectors of Canadian society who have enriched the lives of others and made a difference to this country.
Discover the Order of Canada.Invested by the Lieutenant Governor, the Order is the province’s highest honour for an Ontarian who has shown outstanding qualities of individual excellence and achievement with a lasting legacy in the province, Canada, and beyond.
Discover the Order of Ontario.
International Awards
Fellows of the Royal Society are elected for life through a peer review process on the basis of excellence in science where up to fifty-two Fellows and up to ten Foreign Members are elected from a proposed group of 700 candidates. Learn more about the Royal Society.
This award honours five eminent women scientists from five regions of the world. Alternating every other year, these exceptional researchers are rewarded for their important contributions to the progress of science, either in Life sciences or in the fields of Physical sciences, Mathematics and Computer science. Learn more about the L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards.
Awarded by the BBVA Foundation, the Frontiers of Knowledge Awards recognize fundamental contributions in a broad array of areas of scientific knowledge, technology, humanities and artistic creation. Categories include:
- Basic Sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics)
- Biology and Biomedicine
- Information and Communication Technologies
- Climate Change and Environmental Sciences
- Economics, Finance and Management
- Humanities
- Social Sciences
- Music and Opera
This international competition format brings together science enthusiasts from diverse backgrounds, looking for the most recent and innovative Science Breakthroughs of the Year. Categories include:
- Life Sciences: The scientific study of life and organisms e.g. biology, neuroscience, zoology
- Physical Sciences: The observation and understanding of natural phenomena of the earth, atmosphere and space, e.g. chemistry, physics, astronomy
- Engineering & Technology: The practical application of science and mathematics to every-day life, e.g. artificial intelligence, information technology, mechanical engineering
- Social Sciences & Humanities: The institutions and functioning of human society and the interpersonal relationships of individuals as members of society, e.g. politics, economics, philosophy
- Art & Science: Artists whose work is inspired and influenced by science, which sheds light on societal issues, natural phenomena or simply the wonder of scientific discoveries
- Science Start-ups (Falling Walls Venture): Innovative start-ups that have translated breakthrough scientific thinking into promising business models
- Science Engagement (Falling Walls Engage): Forms of participatory science engagement initiatives that generate mutual learning between, and mutual benefits for, science and society
- Women’s* Impact Award (Female Science Talents)
Learn more about the Falling Walls Global Call.
This is a two-year $75,000 fellowships awarded annually to early-career researchers whose creativity, innovation, and research accomplishments make them stand out as the next generation of leaders. Candidates hold a PhD (or equivalent) in chemistry, computer science, Earth system science, economics, mathematics, neuroscience, physics, or a related field. Candidates must be tenure-track, though untenured, as of September 15 of the nomination year, and must carry a regular teaching obligation.
Learn more about the Sloan Research Fellowships.
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation offers fellowships to exceptional individuals in pursuit of scholarship in any field of knowledge and creation in any art form, under the freest possible conditions.
This is for mid-career individuals who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts and exhibit great promise for their future endeavours. Each year, the Guggenheim Foundation awards approximately 175 fellowships to individuals making their mark in the social sciences, the natural sciences, the humanities, and the creative arts.
Applications are sought from young, independent scholars who combine the highest level of research excellence with a demonstrated passion for delivering impact. Applicants should be in the early to middle years of their independent careers, i.e. no more than 10 years from PhD and aged 30-40 (applicants outside one of these ranges are still invited to send applications).
Learn more about the Global Young Academy.
Award coordination and institutional nominations
VPR plays a crucial role in coordinating nominations for prestigious awards aimed at recognizing outstanding faculty achievements. These awards, offered by tri-council granting agencies like NSERC, SSHRC, and CIHR, as well as other academic bodies, not only provide significant research funding but also enhance the reputation of recipients and their institutions.
To compete effectively for these awards, faculty members must first establish themselves at a disciplinary level with achievements such as research prizes, best paper awards, and keynote addresses. Departmental support is essential in identifying suitable nominees and managing the nomination process. In cases where institutional nominations are limited or by invitation only, VPR oversees or delegates the preparation of nominations.
Some awards allow direct nominations from the Queen's community or the public, while others may require nominations from VPR. Regardless of the competition type, crafting a strong nomination package is critical, and our team offers guidance in this process. All nominations are handled confidentially, and for major international awards, an external review process is available through the Global Excellence Initiative, which aims to elevate Canada's research profile globally by supporting scholars and scientists in their nominations for major international awards.
For research awards coordination and nomination support, please contact:
