Each year, Polanyi Prizes are awarded to five researchers who are in the early stages of their careers and pursuing post-doctoral research at an Ontario university. Recipients of the Polanyi Prize represent Ontario’s next generation of innovators, who are helping discover advances in areas like cancer treatment, advanced computing and the treatment of serious diseases like HIV and Parkinson’s.
The 2014 recipients are:
- Dr. William Bennett of the University of Waterloo for chemistry.
- Dr. Rahul Deb of the University of Toronto for economic science.
- Dr. Andrea Charise of the University of Toronto for literature.
- Dr. Eduardo Martin-Martinez of the University of Waterloo for physics.
- Dr. Jennifer Brunet of the University of Ottawa for physiology/medicine.
Supporting and celebrating exceptional research at Ontario’s universities is part of the government’s economic plan for Ontario. The four-part plan is building Ontario up by investing in people’s talents and skills, building new public infrastructure like roads and transit, creating a dynamic, supportive environment where business thrives and building a secure savings plan so everyone can afford to retire.
QUICK FACTS
- The Ontario Council on Graduate Studies, appointed by the Council of Ontario Universities, establishes a panel to select the Polanyi Prize recipients each year.
- The province established the Polanyi Prizes in 1987 to honour the achievement of John Charles Polanyi, a 1986 Nobel Prize Laureate in chemistry.
- The 2014 Ontario Budget recommitted $250 million over three years for the Ontario Research Fund, which helps support the activities of world-class researchers.
- In August 2014, the ministry signed strategic mandate agreements with all publicly funded colleges and universities in Ontario to help them build on their existing strengths and expand their most innovative programs.