Faculty of Science announces appointment of four department chairs
From left: Prof. Yi Huang (Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences), Prof. Laura Nilson (Department of Biology), Prof. Brigitte Pientka (School of Computer Science), Prof. Galen Halverson (Department of Earth and Planetary Science).
The Faculty of Science is pleased to announce the appointment of four department chairs, who began their terms on June 1.
Adrian Liu receives the 2026 Carrie M. Derick Award for Graduate Teaching and Supervision
Congratulations to Adrian Liu (Physics), who received the 2026 Carrie M. Derick Award for Graduate Teaching and Supervision!
Jasmin Chahal receives the 2026 Leo Yaffe Award for Excellence in Teaching
Congratulations to Jasmin Chahal (Microbiology and Immunology) for winning the 2026 Leo Yaffe Award for Excellence in Teaching!
Presented annually, the Leo Yaffe Award for Excellence in Teaching celebrates a faculty member for superior teaching at the undergraduate level within the Faculty of Science.
Dr. Bridget Andersen awarded the 2026 Yablonovitch Research Prize
Congratulations to Dr. Bridget Andersen, who has received the 2026 Yablonovitch Research Prize.
The prize, established in 2022 by Eli Yablonovitch, BSc 1967, DSc 2018, and Karen Yablonovitch, is awarded annually by the Faculty of Science at convocation to a graduate student enrolled in the Faculty of Science who has achieved the best research accomplishment in experimental physics.
Three scholars receive President’s Prize for Outstanding Emerging Researchers
Professors Mette Bendixen, Rachel Langevin and Kai Wang recognized for research excellence and impact.
What an illusion involving a fake hand can tell us about our mind-body connection
People who have a weaker sense of self are also more likely to have less bodily awareness, McGill researchers have found. The study supports the idea that people’s perceptions of themselves and how they experience their own bodies are deeply connected.
Adrian Liu awarded 2026 CAP Medal for Excellence in Teaching Undergraduate Physics Award
National honour from the Canadian Association of Physics (CAP) recognizes McGill physicist’s excellence in teaching, mentorship, and inclusive leadership.
2026 Faculty of Science Excellence Award winners announced
Ann Jack (Clerical), Diti Anastasopoulos (Management), and Maxime Leroux (Technical) have been named recipients of the Faculty of Science Excellence Awards.
These awards, announced at the Faculty of Science Council meeting on May 20th, recognize the outstanding contributions made by members of the Faculty’s administrative and support staff during the 2025-2026 academic year.
Read below the citations prepared by the Faculty of Science Excellence Awards Committee.
Historic plant collections offer a window into genetic change
Pressed plant specimens collected centuries ago and stored in herbaria around the world could play a key role in facilitating the tracking of genetic change and extinction risk in plants, a McGill University-led study indicates.
Explosions, colour changes, and hands-on science: the McGill Chemistry Outreach Group’s 24 Hours of Science Event
On Saturday, May 2, families gathered at the Otto Maass Chemistry Building for an exciting day of discovery as the McGill Chemistry Outreach Group held its annual 24 Hours of Science event, which welcomed 220 guests.
McGill’s Bravo Gala shines a spotlight on research excellence
At event honouring 116 winners of major awards, keynote speaker and SSHRC Gold Medal recipient Myriam Denov emphasized the importance of listening. McGill celebrated more than 100 researchers at the 21st edition of Bravo, a gala event May 7 honouring the winners of major provincial, national and international research prizes and awards in 2025.
Provost honours 31 McGill professors for exceptional research achievements
The 2026 cohort of Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors and William Dawson Scholars embody ‘the very best of our academic community’.
Provost and Executive Vice-President (Academic) Angela Campbell has named 31 McGill professors as Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors or William Dawson Scholars. The internal awards recognize exceptional research achievements.
McGill awarded 16 new or renewed Canada Research Chairs
From fundamental physics to child well-being, McGill researchers advance discovery across disciplines McGill has been awarded $18.1 million in federal funding to support 16 Canada Research Chairs – six new and 10 renewed.
$1.25 million for McGill research from the New Frontiers in Research Fund
Federal fund will support transformative high risk, high reward research across engineering, science, and medicine at McGill.
Six Faculty of Science Professors celebrated for outstanding research achievements
Clockwise from top left: Parisa Ariya (Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences), Bruce Arndtsen (Chemistry), Nikolaos Provatas (Physics), Hanadi Sleiman (Chemistry), Irene Gregory-Eaves (Biology), and Fiona Soper (Biology)
This year, six professors from the Faculty of Science have been recognized among the recipients of the 2026 cohort of Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors and William Dawson Scholars.