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Jim Waldram named Royal Society of Canada Fellow

Two University of Saskatchewan researchers have been named Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) – our country’s senior body for distinguished scholars and one of Canada’s highest academic honours. Medical anthropologist Jim Waldram and chemical engineering expert Ajay Dalai were amongst the 90 new Fellows announced today by the RSC.

“Dr. Waldram and Dr. Dalai are two of our university’s most active and passionate researchers, and being elected into the Royal Society of Canada is a richly-deserved honour,” said Gordon Barnhart, interim president and vice-chancellor of the U of S. “Dr. Waldram’s valuable contributions to Aboriginal health, and Dr. Dalai’s expertise in bioenergy, are indicative of the diverse range of world-class knowledge that exists at the U of S, and of the valuable contributions our researchers make on a global stage.”

Waldram joined the U of S in 1983 and, over the past three decades, has become an international authority in the study of Aboriginal mental health issues and the cultural bases of treatment and healing in various contexts. His research has been widely supported, both by national funding agencies and numerous First Nations and Aboriginal organizations. His work has included groundbreaking ethnographic studies of therapeutic programs for criminal offenders, as well as of Aboriginal health and mental health policies, both within Canada and around the world.

“It is a great honour to be elected to the Royal Society, and something I have dreamed about for many years,” said Waldram. “But I would not have achieved this without the wonderful community research collaborations that characterize my career, the persuasiveness of those colleagues who wrote on my behalf, and the support and insights offered by my wife, Dr. Pamela Downe, of the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology.”

Dalai holds a Canada Research Chair in Bioenergy and Environmentally Friendly Chemical Processing, and has been a professor at the U of S since 1996. His ambitious research program has led to him firmly establishing an international reputation as a leader in renewable energy, heavy oil and gas processing, and catalytic reaction engineering. His work has resulted in numerous patents and alternative fuels, including environmentally-friendly diesel fuel substitutes made from organic compounds.

The Royal Society of Canada (RSC): the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada was established in 1882 as the senior Canadian collegium of distinguished scholars, artists and scientists. It is Canada’s National Academy.