Western’s latest honorees of Distinguished University Professorships (DUP) join a select group of faculty members recognized for exceptional scholarly careers. Honoured this year with the university’s top award for faculty are Mary Crossan, Ivey Business School; Jeff Dixon, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry; and T.K. Sham, Science.
The Distinguished University Professorship Award acknowledges sustained excellence in scholarship over a substantial career at Western. The award includes a citation, the right to use the title, an opportunity for a public lecture and a $10,000 prize to be used for scholarly activity at any time.
Western also selected 12 Faculty Scholars to recognize their significant achievements in teaching or research. The recipients are considered all-around scholars and will hold the title of Faculty Scholar for two years and receive $7,000 each year for scholarly activities. This year’s Faculty Scholars are Lisa Archibald, Communications Sciences and Disorders, Health Sciences; A. Kim Clark, Anthropology, Social Science; Timothy Conley, Economics, Social Science; Alison Conway, English and Writing Studies, Arts & Humanities; Lina Dagnino, Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich; Zhifeng Ding, Chemistry, Science; David Edgell, Biochemistry, Schulich; Paul Gribble, Psychology, Social Science; David Heinrichs, Microbiology and Immunology, Schulich; Elizabeth Anne Kinsella, Occupational Therapy, Health Sciences; Jason Neyers, Law; and Sean Shieh, Earth Sciences, Science.
Mary Crossan
Ivey Business School
Mary Crossan, a General Management professor at lvey Business School, stands as a “complete scholar” who consistently delivers excellence in the classroom. As one of the school’s leaders in effectively developing and presenting new material, her teaching evaluations reflect the a profound knowledge of management issues and practices, as well as the ability to connect with her students.
Outside the classroom, Crossan has written more than 50 cases and extensively published in high-level journals including the Strategic Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Organization Science and Journal of Management Studies. She continues to be one of the most highly cited faculty members at lvey, earning the Academy of Management Review Paper of the Decade Award (1998-2008), which is given to the paper receiving the most citations during the past 10 years.
Her commitment to excellence can also be appreciated through her active engagement in the field and the university.
“Mary Crossan’s research in organizational learning, strategy, leadership character and improvisation is highly respected both within and outside of her field,” said Ivey Dean Robert Kennedy. “Her contributions are greatly valued by the academic community.”
Jeff Dixon
Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
Jeff Dixon is an internationally recognized researcher who put Western on the map for bone and joint biology. He has excelled as a teacher and mentor and, perhaps most notably, can be credited for his enormous contributions to the development of bone and joint research across Canada.
Dixon has made many key contributions toward a better understanding of skeletal modeling and remodeling and, over his career, has published 128 peer-reviewed manuscripts in some of the most prestigious journals in his field.
Throughout his career, Dixon has been heavily engaged in teaching and supervision. He has supervised 27 graduate students and 12 postdoctoral fellows, all of whom speak highly of his mentoring skills, his dedication to trainees and the quality of scientific training in his lab.
“Western on the map for bone and joint biology,” said Schulich Dean Michael Strong. “His numerous superb contributions to research, teaching and service make him stand out from his peers. In particular, his leadership in promoting bone and joint research in London, and across the country, is second-to-none.”
Tsun-Kong Sham
Science
A world-class materials chemist, Tsun-Kong Sham is the authority when it comes to the application of synchrotron radiation to materials science. His area of research is also of strategic importance to the university, anchoring its strength in materials for sustainable energy.
As a Tier I Canada Research Chair, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and recipient of the prestigious John C. Polanyi Prize of the Canadian Society for Chemistry, Sham’s research productivity remains high, with more than 440 peer-reviewed papers and more than 8,000 citations – more than 600 citations last year alone – to his credit.
In addition to his distinguished record as a synchrotron researcher, Sham has been vital as part of the administration of the Canadian Light Source, as well as scientific director of the Canadian Synchrotron Radiation Facility at the Synchrotron Radiation Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison) since 1998.
In addition to these external services, Sham has been an active departmental colleague serving on departmental committees including those involved in appointments, promotion and tenure.
“Professor Sham is a prolific researcher, a passionate teacher and an effective mentor, an innovator, a scientific leader and one of the foremost synchrotron scientists of our time,” said Science Dean Charmaine Dean.
