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Excellence in Education Prizes

The University of Ottawa established the annual Excellence in Education Prizes to recognize educators of exceptional quality, driven by their passion to advance and share knowledge. These leaders in university education are outstanding in the classroom, in the laboratory and in the field and have been recognized by students and peers alike.

Deadline: Friday, March 7, 2025

Selection criteria

Candidates must distinguish themselves in two specific areas, namely:

  • Outstanding teaching, as demonstrated through:
    • Excellent course evaluations by students;
    • Endorsement letters from students;
    • Development of innovative content and incentives that engage students in learning processes;
    • Involvement in the development of new courses, labs, or curriculum;
    • Creativity and impact in pedagogy and/or applications in the development of courses (i.e. online and blended courses);
    • Variety in their offer of courses, small and large groups, undergraduate and graduate.
  • A solid research program, as demonstrated through:
    • Research grants;
    • Awards for research;
    • Publications;
    • Significant contribution to a particular field of research;
    • National and international recognition.

This prize is limited to regular professors. Each recipient will receive a $10,000 grant towards research on innovative teaching practices.

Recipients

Marie-Claude Audet

Marie-Claude Audet is an Associate Professor in the School of Nutrition Sciences at the University of Ottawa where she leads the Stress, Nutrition, and Mental Health Lab. She also holds appointments in the University of Ottawa Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, the University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at The Royal, and the Department of Neuroscience at Carleton University. Being a passionate educator, Professor Audet has developed several new undergraduate and graduate courses at the intersection of nutrition, neuroscience, and psychology, with a specific focus on the microbiota-gut-brain axis. These courses have been extremely popular among students in the School of Nutrition Sciences and have also attracted a lot of interest from the whole uOttawa student community. In addition to her teaching, Professor Audet has supervised several trainees as part of their undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral research. In her lab, her research team investigates how stressful events across the lifespan disturb the crosstalk between gut microbes and the brain, making individuals more vulnerable to mental health disorders. Her research also focuses on the impact of diet and physical exercise on the microbiota-gut-brain axis and mental health symptoms. Outside her research lab or university classroom, you may find Professor Audet on a bike trail, a ski slope, or paddle boarding on a lake.

Marie-Claude Audet
Marie-Claude Audet

Adam Brown

Adam Oliver Brown is a professor in the Department of Biology and is also a cross-appointed professor to the Faculty of Education.  Adam brings a lifetime of public performances of music, dance, and theatre to his classrooms. As such, he commands an engaging stage-presence, delivers captivating storytelling, and performs entertaining & informative presentations to his students and beyond.

His research program centers around the scholarship of teaching and learning science and has focused on studies of his own innovative curricular developments and pedagogical approaches at uOttawa, which have been published in top Education, Science Education and Teacher-training academic journals.

Dr. Brown has been central to undergraduate curriculum design and oversight in the Department of Biology and Faculty of Science for almost two decades, guiding curriculum and academic integrity through his committee work, as well as creating programs and courses alike, mostly related to his fields of expertise in Science Education and Science Communication.

Drawing from his wealth of experience in television production through kids’ science shows and nature documentaries, as well as media communications on local or national television and radio news networks, Dr. Brown created Canada’s first undergraduate course dedicated to teaching students of science to communicate directly with the public. This experiential learning course is designed to prepare our science students to engage directly with society and to help build informed citizenry in the modern world… and it has had transformative effects on the career pathways of many undergrads who have discovered their new life’s passion through Dr. Brown’s teachings.

Adam Brown
Adam Brown

Angela Cameron

Angela Cameron is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, Common law section. Professor Cameron teaches Property Law; Gender, Sexuality and Law; and a graduate seminar in Contemporary Legal Issues. She is the co-ordinator of the faculty’s 1L Truth and Reconciliation course, and also teaches part of this mandatory program. Since 2014 she has been the co-chair of the faculty’s Reconciliation and Decolonisation committee.

She received the Order of Ottawa in 2018 for her community work. In 2024 she received the APUO Award for Excellence in Teaching. In 2023 Professor Cameron received the faculty’s excellence in teaching award, and the Nicole Laviolette Distinguished Service Faculty Award. In 2015 she received the Faculty of Law’s community service award, and in 2018 she received the faculty's award for excellence in graduate supervision.

From 2020 to 2024 Professor Cameron was the English co-editor of the Canadian Journal of Women and the Law. From 2014-2023 she was a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Association of Law Teachers.  From 2014 to 2020 she held the Greenberg Chair in Women in the Legal Profession, and was the Chair of FAFIA , one of Canada’s leading feminist organisations, from 2014 to 2019.  

Professor Cameron’s research areas include: critical feminist perspectives on assisted human reproduction, LGBTQ+ family law, human rights law, sociological approaches to law and critical feminist perspectives on Indigenous-settler relations. 

Angela Cameron
Angela Cameron

Clémence Fauteux-Lefebvre

Clémence Fauteux-Lefebvre is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Ottawa, with a cross-appointment to the School of Engineering Design and Teaching Innovation. Her interest in teaching and pedagogical innovation began early in her academic career, during her graduate studies, where she taught a variety of courses, completed specialized training, and presented at the Canadian Engineering Education Association.

Since joining the University of Ottawa, Clémence has developed new courses, incorporated flipped learning approaches, and created a bilingual French-English Chemical Engineering Lexicon to support students' academic success. Her teaching is guided by a commitment to sustainable learning practices, with a focus on active learning and fostering environments where students are engaged in developing their skills, supported by peers and instructors alike.

Her research is centered on sustainable multifunctional materials, nanostructured catalysts, and innovative reactor designs. She leads collaborative projects in areas such as turquoise hydrogen production, high-value chemical synthesis, and air pollution mitigation, working with partners from academia, industry, and government. She has supervised more than 30 undergraduate and graduate research students.

In 2022, Clémence was invited to speak at the "Voices of the Future of Canadian Chemical Engineering" plenary session during the Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference. She received the Faculty of Engineering’s John V. Marsh Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2023. She currently serves as Associate Chair of Undergraduate Studies in her Department, where she continues to integrate her interests in education, innovation, and sustainability.

Clémence Fauteux-Lefebvre
Clémence Fauteux-Lefebvre

Nomination

Deans will recommend candidates to the University of Ottawa Excellence in Education Prizes Selection Committee following assessment by the respective faculty's teaching personnel committee (an extract of minutes is to be included with recommendation).

Nominees are chosen within the nominations received by the deadline. Nominations must include:

  • A statement outlining the basis and justification for the nomination (maximum two pages);
  • A copy of the nominee's complete and current curriculum vitae;
  • A copy of the summary of the nominee's teaching evaluations for the previous three academic years (i.e., the A Report – Summary), excluding students' comments;
  • A maximum of four letters of support from colleagues or students (indicate if originally provided for another prize);
  • A short text from the nominee indicating the use that will be made of the funds, more specifically:
    • Project objectives;
    • Timeline;
    • A precise and justified budget;
    • Impact project will have on the broader university teaching community.

Completed nominations are to be submitted to the Office of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic Affairs. Please provide our office with one electronic version to [email protected]. Generally, decisions are made within three months.

Should you require additional information, please write to [email protected].