When Julaine Hall took over the Research Development Consultant (Awards & Distinctions) position three years ago, she was jokingly told if she got one Royal Society of Canada Fellowship award, she could keep her job. She helped nab six.
“No one was nominating each other. Nobody was aggressively advocating or going after awards,” said Hall, adding many faculty members simply did not see it as the reason they are at a university.
“I have had conversations about this with someone who said, ‘I don’t believe in awards.’ Researchers around here are not great at tooting their own horns. They’re modest; they’re doing it (research) because they believe in it and they love it. They’re not looking for applause.”
Hall is quick to remind researchers, however, that an award is more than a physical reminder. If they win, it brings attention to their work, to their field, and showcases how they help society.
“It also recognizes the faculty, the school and Western. It raises our profile, builds their own reputation and, in the bigger picture, Western’s reputation,” she said.
Hall, who has worked in Graduate Recruitment and Postdoctoral Support at Western, said the new position was born out of the fact the university had never had a dedicated staff member focus on the 60-70 major external research awards available at the provincial, Tri-Council, national and international level.
From Royal Society Fellowships and Trudeau Scholarships, to the Killam Prize and the Order of Canada, July is the only month where no award deadlines are looming.
“Other major institutions had been showing some pretty clear success in terms of awards, prizes, distinctions and honours for quite a while. Our senior leaders were wondering, ‘Why not us?’” Hall continued. “A centralized effort makes a difference in terms of educating, awareness and disseminating information – someone who is in top of it, who can take a look of the landscape and get a feel of what’s out there, what’s needed and what fits best for researchers in our strategic areas.”
For many faculty members, the time-consuming task of putting together an awards package was difficult, if not impossible, to fit in. This is where Hall steps in.
“Sometimes, I will call the researcher directly. Sometimes, they come directly to me saying they might be a good fit for a certain award. Sometimes, someone comes to me wanting to nominate a colleague,” Hall said. “I can chase down the support letters, chase down the people and be the ‘bad guy.’ I can keep people on track.”
As for her successes, the numbers speak for themselves. Western is averaging 20-25 major awards a year, up from the three to five awards in previous years. More specifically, in just the last three years, the university has received 15 Royal Society of Canada Fellowships. In the 10 years prior to Hall’s role, the institution received nine. Total. This latest surge now finds Western behind just the University of Toronto and McGill University for number of fellowships.
While Hall has had a huge role in this success, she said it takes great researchers, not just the volume of entries, to be recognized.
“But you’re not going to win the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket. We’re definitely buying more tickets,” Hall said. “But if we don’t have the national-quality, award-winning type of researchers, we’re not going to get noticed. That has to go hand in hand. Success breeds success.”
Hall cannot help but enjoy some of the success of others. “When I start getting letters back that we have been successful for certain awards, I start dancing in the hallways and get so excited. I feel so invested in the people and their research. It’s so tremendously rewarding for me to be able meet the people who are doing such fantastic things.
“We have such tremendous research talent here at Western. I’ve created relationships with so many people who I now consider friends. It’s incredibly rewarding to come into work each day and hear about this research and find ways to reward it and celebrate it.”