Research Excellence Award

The UFV Board of Governors and Senate recognize academic excellence in research, teaching, and other scholarly activities that support student learning and enrich educational programs at UFV.

The Research Excellence Award is presented each year to a UFV faculty member whose research has demonstrated innovation, mentorship, academic impact, and an interface of teaching and research.

Senate accepts Faculty Excellence Award nominations annually each fall. For more information, please email UFVSecretariat@ufv.ca.

2022 Research Excellence Award recipient

James Bedard, PhD
UFV Department of Biology

“By studying and comparing the genomes of the Drosophila species under Dr. Bedard’s supervision, our students learn how to interpret unique genomic data. They can then apply that knowledge to human-related issues, be it contributing to studies in human cancer, specific diseases, or genetic counselling. This is a task that could help unravel many mysteries of life. Contributing to the genome annotation of more than 2,000 species of Drosophila contributes to the advancement of genomics in unique ways.”” — Dr. Lucy Lee, UFV Dean of Science

UFV the perfect fit for professor seeking balance between teaching and research

Learn more about Dr. Bedard: Who's who in Science featuring Dr. James Bedard, Biology (2015)

Faculty profile page

"For Dr. James Bedard, the 2022 winner of the Research Excellence award at UFV, a faculty posting in the biology department turned out to be the perfect fit.

His mentor during his undergraduate and graduate years studying microbiology in Manitoba had told him that he’d make a good teaching-focused professor with a minor focus on research.

But he went the big research route first, doing post-doc fellowships at the Genome Research Institute in Ohio and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, focusing on molecular genetics.

Bedard got tired of focusing only on research. He wanted to teach as well. Teaching one course part-time confirmed this. Then he took a job at a teaching-focused university in Colorado. Eventually, he felt the pull to return to his home country of Canada..."

Read the full story from UFV Today