John Charles Polanyi Prize

Department of Economics

Polanyi Prize

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Assistant Professor Tianyi Wang (courtesy of the Council of Ontario Universities)

Tianyi Wang, an assistant professor in the department of economics in the Faculty of Arts & Science, has been awarded the prestigious John Charles Polanyi Prize in economic science for 2023.

An applied microeconomist, Wang works primarily at the intersection of political economy and economic history. His research addresses the critical analysis of press independence, political discourse, and the foundations of open dialogue in the context of historical political repression.

It does so by examining the quantitative impact of McCarthyism on American society and democracy, particularly through studies on the Hollywood blacklist, which affected hundreds of professionals in the entertainment industry.

Wang’s forthcoming projects investigate the effects of McCarthyism on targeted groups like the press, labor unions, and liberal politicians. For example, one project will examine how journalists were subpoenaed to testify about their political beliefs, and the impact on press independence and political discourse.

Maya Fishbach awarded 2023 John Charles Polanyi Prize in physics

rahul.kalvapalle — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 19:04:57 +0000

Maya Fishbach awarded 2023 John Charles Polanyi Prize in physics

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rahul.kalvapalle Wed, 02/21/2024 - 14:04

Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics

Polanyi Prize

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Assistant Professor Maya Fishbach (photo by Diana Tyszko)

Maya Fishbach, an assistant professor with the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA) in the Faculty of Arts & Science, has been awarded the prestigious John Charles Polanyi Prize for 2023.

A gravitational wave astrophysicist, Fishbach studies collisions of black holes and neutron stars. Through a combination of data analysis and theoretical modeling, her research strives to explain how, where and when black holes and neutron stars form and merge. By combining gravitational wave and electromagnetic radiation observations, Fishbach is advancing knowledge on everything from stars to cosmology.

“I’m incredibly grateful to receive this award in recognition of my past work and the future promise of gravitational-wave astrophysics,” says Fishbach, a member of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA gravitational wave collaboration and the principal investigator of the LIGO scientific collaboration group at CITA.

“I’m especially honoured to join the inspiring cohort of past Polanyi prize recipients whom I greatly admire and for the opportunity to celebrate John Polanyi and his legacy.”

Alana Ogata wins 2022 John Charles Polanyi Prize in chemistry

lanthierj — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 16:37:28 +0000

Alana Ogata wins 2022 John Charles Polanyi Prize in chemistry

lanthierj Tue, 01/17/2023 - 11:37

Mississauga

Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences

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(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

University of Toronto Mississauga analytical chemist Alana Ogata is one of five recipients of the prestigious 2022 John Charles Polanyi Prize, which recognizes outstanding researchers in the early stages of their career.

An assistant professor in the department of chemical and physical sciences, Ogata is developing bioanalytical technologies that can help diagnose diseases sooner and lead to better treatment and outcomes. This includes investigating bioinspired nanomaterials – synthetic substances that can mimic the structure, properties or functions of living matter – for medical purposes and developing more effective diagnostics to detect biomarkers, such as proteins, in bodily fluids.

Bioinspired nanomaterials can enhance or replace biological reagents, including antibodies and enzymes, used in conventional liquid-biopsy methods, but there are currently significant limits to their implementation. Ogata investigates the formation-structure-function of synthetic crystals that mimic the function of particular enzymes and aims to develop new enzyme-mimic bioinspired nanomaterials to help advance liquid-biopsy technologies.

The Polanyi Prize is awarded each year to as many as five researchers from an Ontario university in the early stages of their career. Given by the Ontario Council of Universities, it is named in honour of John Polanyi, a University Professor Emeritus in the department of chemistry and recipient of the 1986 Nobel Prize. This year, all five prizes were awarded to faculty from U of T.

Michael Stepner wins 2022 John Charles Polanyi Prize in economic science

lanthierj — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 16:27:20 +0000

Michael Stepner wins 2022 John Charles Polanyi Prize in economic science

lanthierj Tue, 01/17/2023 - 11:27

Department of Economics

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Michael Stepner, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Arts & Science’s department of economics, is the winner of the prestigious 2022 John Charles Polanyi Prize for his contributions to economic science.

Stepner, who is also research principal at Harvard University’s Opportunity Insights lab, is an expert on the relationship between health and economic inequality. By analyzing available data, he focuses on how public policy can improve the health and financial security of low-income populations.

Stepner is one of three researchers from the Faculty of Arts & Science recognized with the prize in a year in which ��οfaculty took home all five awards.

The award is special, says Melanie Woodin, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science, “because it recognizes individuals who are in the early stages of their careers, meaning we will be seeing exciting work from them for years to come.”

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Isabella Huberman wins 2022 John Charles Polanyi Prize in literature

lanthierj — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 15:59:05 +0000

Isabella Huberman wins 2022 John Charles Polanyi Prize in literature

lanthierj Tue, 01/17/2023 - 10:59

Department of French

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Isabella Huberman, an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Art & Science’s department of French, has been awarded the prestigious John Charles Polanyi Prize in literature for 2022.

Huberman’s research examines the literature and visual art of Indigenous writers and artists from Manitoba and Quebec who document, contest and reimagine the implications of resource extraction projects – particularly hydropower.

“Winning this award means a lot to me,” says Huberman. “I feel very honoured to have my work recognized by an interdisciplinary committee of scholars and, more importantly, for the study of Indigenous literatures in French to gain this recognition and receive the attention this visionary body of literature deserves.”

The Polanyi Prize is awarded each year to as many as five researchers from Ontario universities in the early stages of their career. Given by the Ontario Council of Universities, it is named in honour of John Polanyi, a University Professor Emeritus in the faculty’s department of chemistry and recipient of the 1986 Nobel Prize.

This year, all five prizes were awarded to faculty at the University of Toronto.

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Joshua Speagle wins 2022 John Charles Polanyi Prize in physics

lanthierj — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 15:53:08 +0000

Joshua Speagle wins 2022 John Charles Polanyi Prize in physics

lanthierj Tue, 01/17/2023 - 10:53

David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics

Department of Statistics

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Joshua Speagle, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Arts & Science’s David A. Dunlap department of astronomy and astrophysics and the department of statistical sciences, has been awarded the prestigious John Charles Polanyi Prize in physics for 2022.

“I'm honoured and humbled to receive the Polanyi Prize and hope to live up to the legacy of John Polanyi that it represents,” says Speagle. “This award highlights the incredibly exciting opportunities enabled by interdisciplinary research such as in astrostatistics and data science and reaffirms Ontario's commitment to supporting similar efforts by future young scientists.”

Speagle is developing new statistical techniques to create a high-resolution 3-D map of the Milky Way, as well as create new machine-learning methods that will help accelerate data processing. This map will be critical in helping scientists and astronomers better visualize the galaxy and understand its past, present and future.

The Polanyi Prize is awarded each year to as many as five researchers from an Ontario university in the early stages of their career. Given by the Ontario Council of Universities, it is named in honour of John Polanyi, a University Professor Emeritus in the department of chemistry and recipient of the 1986 Nobel Prize.

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Kieran Quinn wins 2022 John Charles Polanyi Prize in medicine

lanthierj — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 15:46:55 +0000

Kieran Quinn wins 2022 John Charles Polanyi Prize in medicine

lanthierj Tue, 01/17/2023 - 10:46

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

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Physician Kieran Quinn, an assistant professor in the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine and a general internist and palliative care physician at the Sinai Health, has been recognized with the prestigious John Charles Polanyi Prize for medicine.

An expert on the post-COVID-19 condition, also known as “long COVID,” Quinn seeks to improve access to health care and quality of care for patients near the end of life through his research – with a particular focus on patients with heart failure and the post-COVID-19 condition.

Named after John Polanyi, a University Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Arts & Science's department of chemistry and winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in chemistry, the Polanyi Prize is awarded by the Council of Ontario Universities to as many as five early-career researchers from Ontario universities. This year, ��οfaculty comprised all five winners.

“The work of these innovators serves as exceptional examples of the ground-breaking research taking place across Ontario’s postsecondary sector,” says Jill Dunlop, minister of colleges and universities. “Their efforts to investigate some of society’s most pressing issues drives progress, generates investment and creates jobs – all leading to a better future for the next generation of Ontarians.”

Gwendolyn Eadie recognized with Polanyi Prize in Physics

lanthierj — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 20:25:59 +0000

Gwendolyn Eadie recognized with Polanyi Prize in Physics

lanthierj Tue, 01/18/2022 - 15:25

David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics

Department of Statistical Sciences

Women in STEM

Polanyi Prize in Physics

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Gwendolyn Eadie of the Faculty of Arts & Science's David A. Dunlap department of astronomy and astrophysics and department of statistical sciences has won a 2021 Polanyi Prize in Physics for her work in the emerging field of astrostatistics, which is providing new insights into dark matter and its impact on galaxies.

The prestigious John Charles Polanyi prizes are awarded in honour of University Professor John Polanyi, who won the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Funded by the government of Ontario and administered by the Council of Ontario Universities, they recognize innovative researchers who are continuing postdoctoral work or have recently been appointed as faculty at an Ontario university.

Eadie’s research aims to combine the fields of astronomy and statistics and create statistical models that can help astronomers better understand and make more accurate predictions about how dark matter is distributed in galaxies, and how it affects the formation and evolution of galaxies including our Milky Way.

“As the first ��οfaculty member to be appointed to both the departments of astronomy and statistics – and the head of Canada’s first astrostatistics research team – Gwendolyn Eadie is no stranger to blazing new trails,” says Leah Cowen, U of T’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives. “Her novel interdisciplinary research is poised to provide deeper insights into dark matter that will be critical to advancing our understanding of the workings of our galaxy.

“The University of Toronto congratulates Assistant Professor Eadie on this richly deserved recognition.”

Dr. Mamatha Bhat recognized with John Charles Polanyi Prize in Physiology/Medicine

lanthierj — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 16:20:33 +0000

Dr. Mamatha Bhat recognized with John Charles Polanyi Prize in Physiology/Medicine

lanthierj Tue, 02/04/2020 - 11:20

Department of Medicine

Faculty of Medicine