Three Western scholars have been named among the 87 new Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC). They have been elected by their peers in recognition of outstanding scholarly, scientific and artistic achievement. Election to the academies of the Royal Society of Canada is the highest honour a scholar can achieve in the arts, humanities and sciences.
Founded in 1882, the RSC comprises the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada. Its mission is to recognize scholarly, research and artistic excellence, to advise governments and organizations, and to promote a culture of knowledge and innovation in Canada and with other national academies around the world. Western now has a total of 55 Fellows, starting with Microbiology and Biochemistry professor Robert Murray in 1958.
Western’s scholars named to the Class of 2015 include:
Kathryn Brush
Department of Visual Arts
Visual Arts professor Kathryn Brush is an internationally recognized art historian of remarkable intellectual scope and impact. She was named today among the 87 new Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC).
Visual Arts professor Kathryn Brush is an internationally recognized art historian of remarkable intellectual scope and impact. An influential scholar of medieval art, she has also authored seminal books on European and North American art historiography, the history of museums, and medievalism in Canada. Brush’s sustained creativity and leadership in both the scholarly and curatorial realms has significantly enlarged – and revised – the critical study of art and cultural history in Europe, United States and Canada. She is the first Visual Arts professor at Western to be named a Fellow.
John Leonard
Department of English and Writing Studies
English and Writing Studies professor John Leonard is an internationally recognized scholar in Renaissance/early modern literature, especially the poetry and prose of John Milton. He was named today among the 87 new Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC).
English and Writing Studies professor John Leonard is an internationally recognized scholar in Renaissance/early modern literature, especially the poetry and prose of John Milton. He has won four international prizes, including Honored Scholar of the Milton Society of America (only the sixth Canadian to win this lifetime achievement award since 1948). The Times Literary Supplement has called him “one of the greatest Milton scholars working today.”
Jesse Zhu
Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
Engineering professor Jesse Zhu is a world-renowned expert in particle technology and multiphase systems, with more than 300 journal publications and more than 20 granted patents. He was named today among the 87 new Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC).
Engineering professor Jesse Zhu is a world-renowned expert in particle technology and multiphase systems, with more than 300 journal publications and more than 20 granted patents. Several technologies from his research have been successfully converted to commercial applications in chemical, materials, environmental and pharmaceutical industries. He has also received numerous awards including Distinguished University Professor at Western and one of the highest award given by the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering.
This year’s new Fellows will be inducted during ceremonies on Nov. 27 in Victoria, B.C.
