Polar Knowledge Canada is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2025 Northern Science Award. This prestigious award is presented annually to an individual or team who have made a significant contribution to advancing knowledge and understanding of the Canadian North. Dr. Homa Kheyrollah Pour, Ph.D. was presented with the award and Centenary Medal at the ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting gala in Calgary, Alberta, on December 18, 2025.
Dr. Kheyrollah Pour was selected as the 2025 Northern Science Award and Centenary Medal winner in recognition of her exceptional scientific leadership and community-partnered scholarship in freshwater lake monitoring in Canada's Arctic and sub-Arctic regions.
Dr. Kheyrollah Pour is an Associate Professor in Geography and Environmental Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University, Executive Director of the Cold Regions Research Centre and Canada Research Chair in Remote Sensing of Environmental Change. Her research focuses on climate-driven changes to lake ice, winter road safety and water quality in the Northwest Territories.
In collaboration with local Indigenous communities, Dr. Kheyrollah Pour has established an ice thickness monitoring network across the territory that integrates in situ sensor technology, remote sensing and Indigenous knowledge. The network makes ice condition data available in real-time to Northern residents, helping communities adapt and respond to increasingly unpredictable ice road conditions.
