Dr. Kelly Cobey has been named a member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, recognizing her significant contributions to open, transparent and reproducible research.
Dr. Cobey is an Associate Professor at the uOttawa Faculty of Medicine’s School of Epidemiology and Public Health and a scientist and Director of the Metaresearch and Open Science Program at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. Her research focuses on improving how science is conducted, evaluated, communicated and shared, with the goal of strengthening the reliability and impact of scientific knowledge.
She’s “incredibly honoured” to be elected to the RSC College, saying it provides a unique opportunity to “connect with research leaders across Canada who are shaping the research system and innovating across a range of disciplines.”
“I’m excited to use those connections to learn from, and to help advance my program and its efforts to create meaningful change in how we do research in Canada and globally,” Dr. Cobey says.
Advancing rigorous, trustworthy research
A central focus of her work is metaresearch—the study of research itself.
“Improving research methods and research ecosystems requires engagement across researchers, institutions, funders, policymakers, patients, and the public.”
Dr. Kelly Cobey
She examines challenges affecting the scientific enterprise, including research reproducibility, reporting quality, data management and sharing, publication practices, open science and research assessment. Her work addresses not only how individual studies can be improved, but also how the broader systems and incentives surrounding research can better support rigorous and trustworthy science.
Dr. Cobey is an influential voice in efforts to reform research assessment. She serves as co-chair of the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), an international initiative working to improve how research and researchers are evaluated.
Her scholarship and advocacy have received significant national and international recognition. In 2024, Dr. Cobey received the prestigious John Maddox Prize for her work advancing open science and advocating for reform of research assessment. The award recognized her efforts to address complex challenges within the research system and develop practical approaches to improving scientific transparency and integrity.
Ensuring trust in responsible science
Dr. Cobey’s research also examines threats to scholarly communication, including predatory journals and practices that can undermine the reliability of the scientific record. By bringing evidence and methodological rigour to these issues, Dr. Cobey has contributed to broader conversations about research integrity and responsible science.
Membership in the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars recognizes emerging scholars, artists and scientists whose accomplishments demonstrate a high level of achievement and whose work has the potential to make important contributions to Canada and beyond.
Dr. Cobey’s appointment recognizes the impact of her research and leadership while highlighting the growing importance of metaresearch in strengthening the foundations of scientific discovery.
Her work is helping shape a research environment that is more rigorous, transparent and trustworthy—and providing practical tools and evidence to support that transformation.
Shaping world-class research from Canada’s capital
Being based in Ottawa has been instrumental in advancing her research program, according to Dr. Cobey.
“Improving research methods and research ecosystems requires engagement across researchers, institutions, funders, policymakers, patients, and the public. Being in the nation’s capital has been pivotal in building those connections, particularly at the federal level,” she says.