TORONTO, September 16, 2014 – The Royal Society of Canada has named three York University professors as inaugural members of The College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.

Alidad Amirfazli, Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering, Sarah Flicker, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Environmental Studies, and Shayna Rosenbaum, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health have been named inaugural new members, for a seven year appointment. In total, the Royal Society of Canada has named 91 inaugural members of The College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. The presentation for this first cohort will take place on Friday, Nov. 21 at Fairmont Le Château Frontenac in Quebec City.

“On behalf of the York University community, I would like to offer our sincere congratulations to three of our faculty members, Alidad Amirfazli, Shayna Rosenbaum and Sarah Flicker, on this important recognition and achievement,” said Robert Haché, York’s Vice-President Research & Innovation. “These exceptional scholars have made significant contributions to research in their respective disciplines.”

The College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists is Canada’s first national system of multidisciplinary recognition for the emerging generation of Canadian intellectual leadership. The College is mandated “to gather scholars, artists and scientists at a highly productive stage of their careers into a single collegium where new advances in understanding will emerge from the interaction of diverse intellectual, cultural and social perspectives.”

Alidad Amirfazli is Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the Lassonde School of Engineering. His current research pertains to surface engineering and understanding droplet surface interactions to develop platform technologies for diverse areas of applications, e.g. water management in fuel cells, anti-icing systems for wind turbine/aircrafts printing technology, application of pesticides, spray cooling. His extensive international collaborations include research in Italy, Germany, Belgium, and Spain. He has been the Canada Research Chair in Surface Engineering, and has earned the rare distinction of having twice received the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s DAS Grant. Amongst his past distinctions are appointment as a Killam Annual Professor, and Martha Cook Piper Research Prize.

Sarah Flicker is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Environmental Studies. Her research focus is in the area of community development, public health, HIV and adolescence. She has been engaged in an exciting and innovative program of research that focuses on teen HIV prevention and support. She is a Canadian leader in promoting community-based participatory research methodologies. She is active on a variety of research teams that focus on adolescent sexual health with youth in Canada and South Africa. Her past distinctions include receiving a Scholar Award from the Ontario HIV Treatment Network, the Synapse Mentorship Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Community Based Research Award of Merit from the Centre for Urban Health Initiatives.

Shayna Rosenbaum is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and Associate Scientist at the Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest. Her research examines how different forms of memory are represented in the brain and how they contribute to other functions from decision making to social interaction. Combining the patient-lesion method with neuroimaging, she has made important discoveries in specifying the function of the hippocampal memory system. She has harnessed this knowledge to develop strategies to help healthy adult and clinical populations overcome memory loss and optimize learning in the workplace. Her research has been recognized by a CIHR New Investigator Award, Sloan Fellowship (USA), and early career awards, most recently from the Canadian Association for Neuroscience (CAN) and the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour, and Cognitive Science (CSBBCS).

For more information, visit the Royal Society of Canada website.

York University is helping to shape the global thinkers and thinking that will define tomorrow. York U’s unwavering commitment to excellence reflects a rich diversity of perspectives and a strong sense of social responsibility that sets us apart. A York U degree empowers graduates to thrive in the world and achieve their life goals through a rigorous academic foundation balanced by real-world experiential education. As a globally recognized research centre, York U is fully engaged in the critical discussions that lead to innovative solutions to the most pressing local and global social challenges. York U’s 11 faculties and 27 research centres are thinking bigger, broader and more globally, partnering with 288 leading universities worldwide. York U's community is strong − 55,000 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, and more than 250,000 alumni.

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Media Contact:
Arielle Zomer, Research Communications, 416 736 2100 ext. 21069 / azomer@yorku.ca
Janice Walls, Media Relations, York University, 416 736 2100 x22101/ wallsj@yorku.ca