Sudbury mining researcher Nadia Mykytczuk is being recognized by the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) as one of the nation’s most accomplished scholars and scientists.
Laurentian University, where Mykytczuk is the executive director of the Goodman School of Mines, announced Sept. 4 she's being named to the RSC's College of New Scholars, which recognizes the emerging generation of scholarly leaders, researchers and artists, within 15 years of their doctoral studies or equivalent, for a seven-year term.
The school also announced that Linda Ambrose, a history professor at Laurentian, is being elected as a Fellow to the RSC.
"I am deeply humbled to join the College of New Scholars of the Royal Society of Canada,” said Mykytczuk, president and CEO at the mining research organization MIRARCO, in a news release.
“This honour provides an extraordinary platform to advance the College’s goals of fostering collaboration across disciplines, amplifying Canadian scholarship globally, and ensuring that research and innovation are harnessed to address the most pressing challenges of our time.”
Election to the RSC, which was founded in 1882 to recognize leaders in the areas of the arts, academia and science, is considered the highest honour a Canadian can achieve in intellectual life, according to the release. Fellows and Scholars are chosen by their peers for their “remarkable contributions to knowledge and to public life.”
Described by Laurentian as an “innovator in the field of environmental microbiology,” Mykytczuk is known for her work in using microorganisms to recover minerals and remediate waste sites.
One of her long-term goals is to establish a Centre for Mine Waste Biotechnology in Sudbury. It would serve as a non-profit innovation centre where researchers could develop and pilot new biotechnologies to extract mine waste and speed up the process of getting those solutions to market.
Mykytczuk currently holds the NOHFC Industrial Research Chair in Biomining and Bioremediation and has been recognized for her leadership in promoting women in mining and fostering community engagement, the release noted.
In March, she received the King Charles III Coronation Medal for her dedication to community and service to Canada. In 2022, she received the Innovation Award from the Northern Ontario Business Awards, which was formerly a program of Northern Ontario Business.
The RSC will induct its new Fellows and Members on Nov. 14 during a ceremony in Montreal.
Laurentian said it would hold its own ceremony honouring Mykytczuk and Ambrose at a future date.
