Western students were recognized among the best in the world through the 2025 Global Undergraduate Awards - an international academic competition celebrating exceptional undergraduate research and creative work.
Western's global and regional winners from the 2025 Global Undergraduate Awards. (L to R) Renee Guerville, David Johnson, Jadyn Zajac and Sarah You. (Image design: Rob Potter/Western Communications)
This year, Western achieved top global standing, ranking first in North America and second worldwide for "highly commended" students. The university also tied for second place with Brown University for regional winners and second in North America for global winners, alongside four other institutions. It continues Western's pattern of success at the awards.
Among this year's winners, classical studies student Jadyn Zajac earned the title of global winner in the Classical Studies and Archaeology category - selected as the top undergraduate paper in the world in her field. It marks the third consecutive year a Western student has earned the global award in this category.
In total, 13 Western students were named highly commended, three received regional winner titles and one earned global winner recognition.
"We're so proud of these students and the dedication they've shown in pursuing research that makes a difference," said Lise Laporte, senior director, Western International. "Their success on a global stage reflects not only their individual talent and hard work, but also Western's commitment to supporting undergraduates as they explore new ideas and perspectives."
Nearly 2,800 submissions from institutions in 48 countries were received this year. To be considered for a Global Undergraduate Award, entrants submit their work to one of 25 categories.
Global winners, regional winners and highly commended scholars each receive a certificate along with publication of their paper in The Undergraduate Library and access to the Undergraduate Award Network. Winners are also invited to present their research at the Global Undergraduate Summit taking place in Dublin, Ireland, from Nov. 9 to 12.
Western's success in the Global Undergraduate Awards helps cultivate research curiosity and highlight academic excellence across disciplines, one winner said.
"Programs like this are incredibly valuable because they celebrate undergraduate research - something that often goes underappreciated," said Renee Guerville, BSc'25, a regional winner in the psychology category. "Getting that recognition can motivate students to keep pursuing their research interests and share their work with the world."
Global Winner: Exploring women's roles in early Christianity
Jadyn Zajac, a fourth-year student in the Faculty of Arts & Humanities' classical studies department, earned Global Winner recognition for her paper examining women's leadership in the early Christian Church.
Her research challenges the Catholic Church's frequent appeal to tradition in opposing female ordination, arguing "women in the early Church were ordained to major positions such as presbyters and bishops," and that later censorship "erased evidence of women's liturgical leadership."
"I was in complete shock," Zajac said of her win. "When the earlier announcements came out, I saw names from Ivy League universities and had more or less accepted defeat. To win the global award felt like the perfect conclusion to my time as an undergraduate."
Zajac, who will attend the Global Summit in Dublin, said the experience has given her confidence in her academic journey. "To finish my degree with such an award has allowed me to see that through my hard work, I am truly capable of achieving great things."
Read more about Zajac's award-winning research
Regional Winner: Understanding sensory processing in neurodivergent children
Renee Guerville, BSc'25 (honours specialization in neuroscience, major in psychology), was named regional winner in the psychology category for her research on sensory processing in children with autism and ADHD.
Her study used EMG (electromyography) to explore how the brain filters sensory information. "Children with autism and ADHD have altered sensory filtering, so they're often hyperreactive compared to typically developing children," Guerville explained.
"I've always believed that knowledge is power," she added. "The more we understand about how people experience the world, the better we can support and accommodate them."
Now lab manager of Western's Sensory Perception Lab, Guerville plans to continue this work through graduate studies focused on neuropsychology and child clinical psychology.
Read more about Guerville's award-winning research
Regional Winner: Advancing mathematical theory through computation
David Johnson, a fifth-year Faculty of Science student, pursuing an honours specialization in applied mathematics, earned regional winner recognition in the mathematics and physics category for his work on a classic problem in mechanical engineering known as Alt's problem - or the "nine-point path synthesis problem."
His research used computational and combinatorial methods to explore how simple mechanical linkages can be designed to trace complex paths, contributing to efforts toward a formal mathematical proof.
"It felt amazing to know that something I wrote resonated with others," said Johnson. "It was very validating and made me feel like the work I'd done mattered."
Johnson will begin a master's degree in applied mathematics at Western in January, focusing on computational algebraic geometry. "I'd love to continue doing research in this area, perhaps even as a professor one day," he said.
Read more about Johnson's award-winning research
Regional Winner: Using AI to measure financial risk
Sarah You, HBA'25 (honours specialization in statistics, with a focus on data science and machine learning), was named regional winner in the computer science category for developing a deep learning model to better estimate the probability of corporate default.
Her work applies artificial intelligence to financial risk modeling, addressing limitations in traditional statistical approaches that struggle to predict extreme events.
"Even when results aren't perfect, the research process itself - and the effort to tackle complex problems - matters a lot," said You.
Having graduated from Western's Ivey Business School, she is now completing a master's degree in statistics at Columbia University.
