Awards, Fellowships, and Recognitions for Members of the Laboratory
Dr. Akarin Asavajaru (Research Technician and Laboratory Manager; 2021-present)
2024 VIDO Research Merit Award (April 29, 2023)
2023 VIDO Research Merit Award (May 5, 2023)
Victoria Gonzalez (PhD candidate; 2021-present)
Early Career Award (recipient of a registration, travel and accommodation grant to attend the 8th World One Health Congress - Cape Town, 20-23 September 2024). Awarded by the World One Health Congress.
First place, University of Saskatchewan, Life and Health Sciences Research Expo. Category: Basic Science 4 ($250 CAD; May 2024)
Graduate student travel award, Jay M. Isa Fund, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan (value: $750 CAD; April 26, 2024)
First place (Immunology and Infections) in the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) graduate poster day, University of Saskatchewan (2024)
American Society for Virology (ASV) student travel award for the 42nd annual ASV meeting (value: $525 USD; June 2024)
2023 Emergent BioSolutions Excellence in Research Award, Prairie Infectious Immunology Network (PIIN), Manitoba, Canada (Sep 24-26, 2023)
Second place, Basic Science Category 5, University of Saskatchewan, Life and Health Sciences Research Expo (May 4, 2023)
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Postgraduate Scholarship – Doctoral (PGS D) [2022-2025]
Canadian Society for Virology, 2022 Symposium Travel Award (June 5-7, 2022)
First place, Basic Science Category 3, University of Saskatchewan, Life and Health Sciences Research Expo (May 5, 2022)
Devolved Scholarship, Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan (2022-2023)
Second place, Infectious Disease and Immunology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine annual research poster competition, University of Saskatchewan (March 2022)
Pahul Singh (Summer Student and Research Assistant; May 2023 - August 2024)
First Place, Basic Research Category, 2024 Undergraduate student poster day, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan (Sep 2024).
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA), University of Saskatchewan (May 2024 - August 2024)
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA), University of Saskatchewan (May 2023 - August 2023)
Dr. Kaushal Baid (Postdoctoral Fellow; 2021-present)
First Place, Research Elevator Pitch, VIDO Research Day (Jan 26, 2024)
Canadian Society for Virology, 2022 Symposium Travel Award (June 5-7, 2022)
Sabrina O’Krafka (Summer Student; May 2024 - August 2024)
VIDO Undergraduate research fellowship (May 2024 - August 2024)
Jessica Wang (Summer Student; May 2022 - August 2022)
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA), University of Saskatchewan (May 2022 - August 2022)
Dr. Arinjay Banerjee (PI)
2024 USask Alumni One-to-Watch Award, University of Saskatchewan (Oct, 2024)
2024 Canadian Society for Virology Early Career Researcher Award (June, 2024)
CBC Saskatchewan, Canada Future 40 winner (Dec 5, 2022)
Postdoctoral Fellow Impact Award, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University (May 1, 2021)
The Gerard Wright Postdoctoral Award in Infection Research, 2020 (Nov 2020)
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Postdoctoral Fellowship (value $90,000; September 2019 – August 2021).
American Society for Virology (ASV) postdoctoral scholar travel award (value: N/A; April 2020). The 39th annual meeting was cancelled due to COVID-19.
American Society for Virology (ASV) postdoctoral scholar travel award (value: $500; April 2019)
Michael G. DeGroote fellowship in basic sciences (Postdoctoral fellowship), McMaster University (International competition; value $50,000; September 2018 – August 2019).
Governor General’s Gold Medal for doctoral (PhD) thesis. University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada (May 2019). Lord Dufferin, Canada’s third Governor General after Confederation, created the Academic Medals in 1873 to encourage academic excellence across the nation. Over the years, they have become the most prestigious award that students in Canadian schools can receive.
Best PhD Thesis (2018/19). University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada (Value: $500; May 2019). This award recognizes excellence and original quality in graduate student research. It is awarded based on the recognition of outstanding academic performance in the graduate program.
Second place award at the 2018 Life and Health Sciences Research Exposition poster competition (Value: $100; May 2018).
Department of Veterinary Microbiology and University of Saskatchewan Devolved Scholarship, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan (Value: $3,333; May 1, 2018-August 31, 2018).
Winner of the best basic science paper award at the 2018 Life and Health Sciences Research Exposition (Value: $375; May 2018).
First place in the 2018 graduate student poster competition held at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (Value: $200; April, 2018)
Best Graduate student paper award, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan (Value: $200; April 5, 2018). Recognized for the best paper published by a graduate student at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, for which I was the first author.
Canada Foundation for Innovation’s (CFI) #IAmInnovation Twitter contest winner (Jan 8, 2018). One of three national winners selected from across Canada. As part of winning this contest, I was invited to the Parliament Hill event in Ottawa (Feb, 2018) where I had an opportunity to share my science with Members of Parliament, Senators and senior researchers. I also took over the CFI Twitter account and shared my science to over eleven thousand followers of CFI’s Twitter account.
Selected as a Finalist for the Science, Technology, Innovation and Collaboration (STIC) Award, Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority, Saskatoon, SK, Canada (Distinction; Nov 2017).
Cecil E. Doige travel award for the International symposium on Infectious diseases in bats, Colorado State University, USA. (Value: $200; June 2017).
Saskatchewan Innovation and Opportunity Scholarship, Government of Saskatchewan and the University of Saskatchewan (Value: $20,000; Sep 1, 2017 – August 31, 2018).
Interdisciplinary Research Excellence Award, 5th Annual Graduate Student Awards Gala, Graduate Students’ Association, University of Saskatchewan (April 1, 2017).
Department of Veterinary Microbiology and University of Saskatchewan Devolved Scholarship, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan (Value: $10,000; May 1, 2017-April 30, 2018).
Saskatchewan Innovation and Opportunity Scholarship, Government of Saskatchewan and the University of Saskatchewan (Value: $20,000; Sep 1, 2016 – August 31, 2017).
Department of Veterinary Microbiology and University of Saskatchewan Devolved Scholarship, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan (Value: $10,000; May 1, 2016 - April 30, 2017)
Certificate of recognition for Interdisciplinary Research Excellence, 4th Annual Graduate Student Awards Gala, Graduate Students’ Association, University of Saskatchewan (March 5, 2016).
John Allen Veterinary Microbiology Graduate Student Travel Allowance, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan (Value: $300/year; May 2015, May 2016, May 2017).
Department of Veterinary Microbiology and University of Saskatchewan Devolved Scholarship, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan (Value: $10,000; May 1, 2015-April 30, 2016)
NSERC/CREATE ITraP Scholarship, University of Saskatchewan (Value: $15,000/year; Jan 2016-Aug 2016).
John Burgess Walkden Graduate Student Travel Award, Western College of Veterinary Medicine (2015).
NSERC/CREATE ItraP Scholarship, University of Saskatchewan (Value: $21,000/year; Sep 2014-Dec 2015).