Bishop's University is proud to announce that Dr. Jessica Riddell, Full Professor in the Department of English, has been named a member of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC), College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists -- "one of the highest academic honours" in the Arts, Social Sciences, Humanities, and Sciences in Canada. She is first-ever faculty member at Bishop's to receive this distinction.
Dr. Riddell joins 58 distinguished Canadian scholars, artists, and scientists recognized by their peers for their outstanding scholarly contributions. The 2025 cohort will be formally inducted during the RSC Celebration of Excellence and Engagement on Friday, November 14, 2025, in Montréal, Québec.
"The Royal Society of Canada is delighted to welcome into its ranks a talented group of inspiring researchers, artists, and creators whose peers have recognized their exceptional contributions to the world of science and culture, as well as to the well-being of Canadians. Their research will continue to influence public policy for years to come, while improving the well-being of our society," said Alain-G. Gagnon, FRSC, President of the RSC.
"It is a tremendous honour to be welcomed as a member of the RSC College alongside such extraordinary thinkers and changemakers, affirms Riddell. "Higher education is the critical frontline of democracy and where we build creative futures committed to ecological and human flourishing. I look forward to learning from my College cohort and members of the RSC as we tap into the moral imagination necessary to transform our institutions of higher learning - and by extension democracy itself - for the better."
An award-winning educator, decorated scholar, and best-selling author, Dr. Riddell has published on institutional culture change, governance, strategic planning, inter-institutional collaborations, experiential and inclusive high-impact practices, and Shakespeare.
Her most recent book, Hope Circuits: Rewiring Universities and other Systems for Human Flourishing (McGill-Queen's University Press, 2024), addresses the fragmentation, weakening of purpose, and instrumental practices of higher education and issues an expansive call for the reinvention of universities and the renewal of their social contract.
Dr. Riddell is also the Stephen A. Jarislowsky Chair of Undergraduate Teaching Excellence and a 3M National Teaching Fellow (2015).
