Six University of Waterloo researchers are being recognized as Royal Society of Canada (RSC) fellows and a member of the RSC College.
"I am thrilled to congratulate Waterloo's new Royal Society of Canada Fellows and new Royal Society of Canada College Member on this impressive achievement," says Dr. Charmaine Dean, vice-president of Research and International. "Waterloo's 2025 awardees are exploring a fascinating array of topics, including medical geography, advanced materials, astrophysics, theoretical computer science, biomechatronic system dynamics and family and child psychology - a testament to the breadth and depth of research conducted at Waterloo."
Founded in 1882, the RSC comprises the Academy of Arts and Humanities, Academy of Social Sciences, Academy of Science and the RSC College. The RSC recognizes excellence, advises the government and the larger society, and promotes a culture of knowledge and innovation in Canada and with other national academies around the world.
These six faculty members are joining more than 100 Waterloo researchers who have been inducted as fellows and RSC College members and will be inducted at a ceremony held during the 2025 Celebration of Excellence and Engagement conference in Montréal, Québec, on November 14.
Waterloo's new Royal Society of Canada Fellows
Dr. Shai Ben-David is a University Research Chair and professor at the Cheriton School of Computer Science at Waterloo. His research spans a broad range of topics in theoretical computer science, with a particular focus on the statistical and computational aspects of machine learning. His work has significantly advanced the understanding of machine learning by laying theoretical foundations for the sub-areas of domain adaptation, clustering and multi-class learning.
In 2019, Ben-David was appointed a Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, AI Chair at the Vector Institute, a leading Canadian research institution that fosters collaboration between academia and industry to advance artificial intelligence.
In recognition of his pioneering contributions to machine learning theory, Ben-David was named a 2024 ACM Fellow by the Association for Computing Machinery. He has authored or co-authored more than 170 publications, which have collectively garnered more than 28,400 citations (Google Scholar). His h-index of 54 reflects the broad impact of his work in computer science.
He is also co-author of the widely used textbook, Understanding Machine Learning: From Theory to Algorithms, written with Shai Shalev-Shwartz, which is a staple in machine learning theory courses worldwide.
Learn more about Ben-David's research on the Cheriton School of Computer Science website.
Dr. Susan Elliott is a University Research Chair in Medical Geography and a professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management. She has also served in a number of senior administrative positions including Dean of Social Sciences (McMaster), Dean of Health Sciences (Waterloo), and Senior Research Fellow, United Nations University Institute for Environment and Health, where she remains an adjunct professor.
Her transdisciplinary work bridges science and policy through global partnerships. As part of the Geographies of Health in Place lab, Elliott has supervised more than 50 graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, fostering the next generation of scholars in global health and environmental research. She was recently recognized for her contributions to graduate training through a University of Waterloo Award for Excellence in Graduate Supervision.
Elliott has authored or co-authored more than 250 peer-reviewed articles, in addition to books and book chapters, which accumulated more than 16,000 citations (Google Scholar). Her h-index of 68 reflects her research impact in global environment and health. She is also the founder and co-editor-in-chief of Wellbeing, Space and Society, and serves as the editor-in-chief for Social Science and Medicine.
Her current research addresses water security, gender-based violence and neglected health and illness in vulnerable populations in Sub-Saharan Africa, contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In 2022, Elliott was elected a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences, where she helps shape strategic direction and advance its mission to improve lives across Africa through global health research and scientific collaborations, and integrated knowledge translation.
Dr. John McPhee is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Biomechatronic System Dynamics and a professor in the Department of Systems Design Engineering. He is a leading expert in system dynamics and has pioneered the mathematical development of graph-theoretic modelling, launching a new and highly impactful field of research - multibody system dynamics.
His ground-breaking advances in symbolic computing and simulation were commercialized by Maplesoft and are being used by thousands worldwide to accelerate the design of complex mechatronic systems. His research has changed the way industry innovates across many domains, including hybrid electric vehicles, exoskeletons, rehabilitation robots and sports. He held the NSERC/Toyota/Maplesoft Industrial Research Chair from 2009 to 2015 and received the highly prestigious Professional Engineers Ontario Gold Medal and NSERC Synergy Award for Innovation in recognition of his impact.
Throughout his distinguished career, McPhee has supervised more than 125 graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. Many of his mentees have gone on to become academic leaders and innovators in emerging technologies, including wearable robotic exoskeletons, surgical planning, autonomous electronics and AI-driven baseball pitching robots. He was a co-architect of the mechatronics and biomedical engineering programs at Waterloo, and executive director of the Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research.
McPhee's leadership within the international research community extends back 30 years. He co-founded two journals, including the flagship publication, Multibody System Dynamics, and three international technical committees devoted to the field. He continues to play a pivotal role in fostering global collaboration and advancing research in system dynamics.
Dr. Will Percival is a distinguished research chair in Astrophysics and director of the Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics. His research focuses on cosmology, large-scale structure and data analysis methods in astrophysics.
For the last 25 years he has worked at the forefront of galaxy survey analyses, developing and applying the tools, particularly one called Baryon Acoustic Oscillations, that enable robust measurements of the evolution of the Universe.
He currently has leading roles in two ongoing international cosmological experiments: he serves as co-spokesperson for the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, a ground-based survey of galaxies being undertaken using the Mayall telescope, and on the Science Coordination Group for the Euclid Consortium, an international collaboration supporting the European Space Agency's Euclid satellite mission, which launched on July 1, 2023.
Percival has authored or co-authored more than 500 peer-reviewed publications, which have collectively been cited more than 90,000 times (Astrophysics Data System). His h-index of 132 reflects his substantial impact across cosmology and astrophysics.
Dr. Norman Zhou is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Advanced Materials Joining and Processing and a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, with a cross-appointment in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
He has authored or co-authored more than 500 peer-reviewed articles, which altogether received more than 28,600 citations (Google Scholar). His h-index of 88 reflects the wide-reaching impact of his research in materials science and engineering. Zhou has also supervised more than 130 graduate students, including 50 at the PhD level, contributing significantly to the development of future leaders in the field.
In addition to his academic career, Zhou co-founded AquaSensing with fellow Waterloo Engineering professor, Dr. George Shaker. The company designs environmentally friendly leak detection systems for industrial and health care applications. Their first commercial product - a low-cost, battery and maintenance-free leak sensor - was developed for use in residential and industrial buildings, combining innovation with sustainability.
Zhou has also co-founded a Waterloo spin-off company, Smarter Alloys, with his former graduate student, Dr. Ikraheem Khan. Smarter Alloys is providing cutting-edge solutions and products on climate change and health issues and hired more than a dozen Waterloo graduates.
Waterloo's new Royal Society of Canada College Members
Dr. Dillon Browne is a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Child and Family Clinical Psychology in the Department of Psychology. He is the principal investigator of the FamilyPsycle® Lab, leading a team of clinician-scientists focused on understanding and promoting child and family well-being in a rapidly changing world. His multidisciplinary program of research cuts across disciplinary lines, including family therapy, clinical psychology, early childhood education, pediatrics, psychiatry, social work, epidemiology and the private technology sector.
The unifying theme of Browne's research is examining the social determinants of health from the lens of family systems theory. His studies have shed light on how poverty, social class, trauma, victimization and digital technologies shape family functioning. Browne has also conducted evaluations of health and social service systems, where he supports the development of family-centered systems of care.
Browne has authored 105 peer-reviewed articles, totalling more than 7,800 citations (Google Scholar). His h-index of 37 reflects significant impact on child and family clinical psychology and allied disciplines. He is a regular contributor to major media outlets, including the CBC, Global News and CTV, where he is called on for commentary during major events, like war or the COVID-19 pandemic, that affect children's mental health.
The FamilyPsycle® Lab operates alongside the Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment, located on Waterloo's main campus, providing services to children and families in the Waterloo Region. Browne is a licensed psychologist who provides advanced clinical training to the next generation of health-care workers. His vision is to help build a health-care system that inherently values the family unit - bridging research, ethical innovation and clinical practice in a community-based setting.
