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The Distinguished Women Scholars (DWS) Awards and Lecture Series were established by the Vice-President Academic and Provost to highlight and honour outstanding research and creative achievements by female-identifying scholars. The purpose of these awards is to celebrate, recognize and share the impact of outstanding research and creative achievements by women at any stage of their careers.

DWS award winners participate in a public event organized by the nominating unit (such as a lecture or panel discussion) to showcase and share the impact with our broader community.

The lecture series hosts visiting/guest recipients to create an opportunity for our community to be inspired and impacted by the accomplishments of DWS. The series celebrates outstanding and high calibre accomplishments at any career stage (the level of accomplishment commensurate with career stage). It also aims to provide opportunities to engage with and inspire students and collaborators through class participation and group events. 

Lectures are free and open to the public. Please contact academicqac@uvic.ca for more information.

Call for nominations

Nominate a DWS

The nomination period for 2024/25 has now closed. Thank you to all who applied.

How to nominate

Up to four nominations will be selected to receive funding based on scholarly excellence. Nomination submissions must include:

1. A complete curriculum vitae or record of professional achievement and impact for the proposed DWS.
2. A short proposal (approximately 2 pages) that includes the following:
   • a) brief introduction to the proposed DWS that addresses excellence in scholarly, creative or artistic endeavours;
   • b) a statement of potential impact and relevance of the proposed DWS events; and
   • c) an outline of the nominee’s proposed events during the visit, which may include information about the proposed public lecture by the scholar and the scholar’s participation in the nominator’s own and other academic units during the visit, presentation as part of a course/seminar, studio tour, curated content, and the creative and intellectual process.
   • The committee welcomes innovative approaches that speak to the goals of the DWS series. Proposals may be collaborative and draw in multiple areas; consider ways to engage your alumni in the proposed events. Units are encouraged to consider nominating candidates that further UVic’s commitment to decolonization, reconciliation, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
3. The proposed DWS’s agreement to be nominated (please attach an email confirming this agreement).
4. Contact information for the primary host and support staff; the host unit is responsible for all scheduling and logistics (the Office of the Vice-President Academic and Provost will provide a template for posters or other advertising to promote DWS events).
5. An estimated budget and proposed honorarium (nominees will receive an honorarium). Budget would normally include travel, accommodation, meals, advertising for the public talk, and an honorarium. Nominators should not commit to an honorarium amount until final approval of nomination. Please consult with the Deputy Provost on the honorarium in advance of offering an honorarium amount to a prospective DWS.
6. The Dean’s and/or Chair’s commitment to provide funding to cover expenses if the total approved budget is exceeded.
7. Other criteria that may be considered include: support by multiple constituencies or academic units; sponsorship by an academic unit that has not hosted a speaker in the series recently, and sponsorship by a unit in which there is an under-representation of women.

Please send the above information to the Provost’s Office (academicqac@uvic.ca) via the Department Chair and the Dean.

Scope of activities

• Selected scholars will give one public lecture suitable to the university and the wider community, as well as lectures/seminars and meeting with students within academic unit(s) on campus.
• Visits are usually two to five days in length, i.e., if there are budget constraints, it is reasonable to limit the number of days.
• The nominating faculty member/academic unit(s) is (are) responsible for arranging the details for the speaker's visit and are expected to act as host(s).
• The nominating faculty member/academic unit(s) must inform the Provost’s office of the dates of lecture(s) and provide the posters(s)/announcement(s) to the Provost.
• All poster(s)/announcement(s) must indicate that the lecture is sponsored by the Provost’s Distinguished Women Scholars Lecture Committee.

The nominator(s) must submit a report of the scholar’s visit to the VPAC Office within 30 days after the DWS’s visit, to be used an annual report. The report and proof of budget spending should be submitted together to ensure budget transfer from VPAC to the department.

Committee membership

• Helga Hallgrimsdottir (Chair) - Deputy Provost
• Dale Ganley - Peter B. Gustavson School of Business
• Vacant - Faculty of Education
• Vacant - Faculty of Humanities
• Rustom Bhiladvala - Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science
• Merrie Klazek - Music, Faculty of Fine Arts
• Astrid Perez Pinan - Child and Youth Care, Faculty of Human and Social Development
• Sara Ramshaw - Faculty of Law
• Thomas Baker - Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Science
• Kara Shaw - Environmental Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences

Latest Distinguished Women Scholars

• Dr. Constance McDermott (2023/24) - Host: Department of Geography
• Dr. Anne Drymond (2023/24) - Host: Department of Art History and Visual Studies
• Dr. Brianna Turner (2023/24) - Host: Department of Psychology
• Dr. Shalene Jobin (2023/24) - Host: School of Indigenous Governance
• Dr. Emma Ladouceur (2023/24) - Host: School of Environmental Studies
• Dr. Katherine Dixon-Gordon (2023/24) - Host: Department of Psychology
• - Host: Department of Biology
• Dr. Laurel Schafer (2023/24) - Host: Department of Chemistry