On Sept. 4, the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) announced the new members of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists for 2025. Drs. Myrle Ballard, PhD, Chad Bousman, PhD, Jinguang Hu, PhD, and Amanda Melin, PhD, were among those to receive the prestigious honour.
The RSC College recognizes mid-career leaders who have made exceptional contributions in their respective fields and have demonstrated a high level of achievement in advancing Canadian intellectual leadership.
From left: Chad Bousman, Jinguang Hu, Myrle Ballard and Amanda Melin
Members of the Class of 2025 will be officially inducted into the College during a ceremony in Montreal this November.
"Congratulations to Drs. Ballard, Bousman, Hu and Melin on joining this community of thought leaders who are already emerging as the next generation of research excellence in Canada," says Dr. Ed McCauley, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Calgary.
"These new appointments to the RSC College are a powerful acknowledgment of the impact of their scholarship."
Dr. Myrle Ballard, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Earth, Energy and Environment, Faculty of Science
Myrle Ballard is an Anishinaabe scientist from Lake St. Martin First Nation. Her work focuses on Indigenous Science and the environmental and ecosystem knowledge held by many Indigenous Peoples. Ballard developed and is applying a Three-Eyed Seeing framework an approach that braids together Indigenous Science, Western Science, and Our Relations to the study and stewardship of aquatic ecosystems.
She serves on numerous committees and working groups and was recently an Invited Expert with the United Nation's (UN) Global Environmental Outlook. She was also recently selected as Lead Author on the UN's Working Group III contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Seventh Assessment Report, Chapter 4, Sustainable Development and Mitigation. She is the Canadian Research Chair in Weaving Indigenous Science and Sustainability Science and was named the first Director of the Indigenous Science Division at Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Learn more about Ballard's research.
Dr. Chad Bousman, PhD
Professor, departments of Medical Genetics, Psychiatry, Physiology and Pharmacology and Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine
Chad Bousman is internationally recognized in the field of pharmacogenomics, the study of how genetics influences individual responses to medications. He leads the Psychiatric Pharmacogenomics Laboratory, which houses an interdisciplinary research team that is focused on the discovery, development, and implementation of genomic-based tools that can guide clinical decision making and improve mental health outcomes across the lifespan.
His primary research focus is on optimizing the selection and dosing of drug therapies used to treat mental health conditions in youth. In 2024, Bousman received the Innovation Award from the Canadian College of Neuropsychopharmacology. Additionally, he serves on several national and international committees, including as co-chair of the Clinical Pharmacogenomics Implementation Consortium's antidepressant and antipsychotic guideline committees.
Learn more about Bousman's research.
Chad Bousman is a member of the Cumming School of Medicine's Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI), The Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research & Education in the HBI, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI), the Owerko Centre for Neurodevelopment and Child Mental Health in ACHRI and the Libin Cardiovascular Institute.
Dr. Jinguang Hu, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering
Jinguang Hu's research addresses a critical global challenge: mitigating climate change and reducing dependence on finite fossil resources by converting renewable biomass into sustainable fuels, chemicals, and materials. By developing innovative processes to convert biomass into high-value products, his work directly supports global efforts to combat climate change and advance circular economy principles.
Hu holds the position of Schulich Research Chair and has received several prestigious awards, including the Chemical Institute of Canada's Bao and Zhu Innovation Award, presented annually to a single early-career researcher across Canada for distinguished contributions to chemical engineering, the Schulich Early Research Excellence Award, and the S.C. Trindade Award. He serves on the board of the Canada Biomass Energy Network and is a member of the China-Canada Joint Centre for BioEnergy.
Learn more about Hu's research.
Dr. Amanda Melin, PhD
Professor, Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, Faculty of Arts
Amanda Melin is internationally recognized for advancing our understanding of primate evolution, adaptation, and health. As Canada Research Chair in Primate Genomics and Dietary Ecology, she conducts comparative studies of humans and primates to investigate how we use our senses and how our senses have changed over time. She employs a multidisciplinary approach, including genomics, computational modelling and field-based studies, to gain insights into evolutionary processes and to improve wellness outcomes for both humans and primates.
Melin has received several honours, including a Killam Emerging Research Leader Award and a UCalgary Internationalization Award. She contributes to the research community through national and international collaborations and as an Associate Editor for the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Learn more about Melin's research.
Amanda Melin is a member of the Cumming School of Medicine's Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute.
Nominations for Fellowship in the Royal Society of Canada and Membership in the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists will open in early September with an expected deadline of mid-December. The Royal Society of Canada recognizes and celebrates the country's most distinguished scholars, researchers, and artists, mobilizing their expertise to advance knowledge, foster interdisciplinary dialogue, and provide independent insight on issues that matter to Canada and the world.
To learn more see Fellowship of the Royal Society of Canada and Membership in the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists in the Research Opportunities Database. Deadline for peer review of nomination materials for the SUPPORT: Research Awards Committee is October 15, 2025.
