Two remarkable researchers from the Faculty of Arts & Science have been awarded the Dorothy Shoichet Women Faculty Science Award of Excellence.
Gwen Eadie from the David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics and the Department of Statistical Sciences, is a leader in the growing interdisciplinary field at the intersection of astrophysics and statistics: astrostatistics. Her joint appointment in the two departments make her the first tenure-track astrostatistics faculty appointment in Canada.
Heather McFarlane from the Department of Cell & Systems Biology is a plant cell biologist and Canada Research Chair in Plant Cell Biology. Her research — which focuses on how plants sense and respond to cell wall changes — has the potential to advance applications in sustainable agriculture, food security and next-generation biofuel development.
The Dorothy Shoichet Women Faculty Science Award of Excellence was established in 2016 by University Professor Molly Shoichet in honour of her late mother. It provides release from teaching for early-career, female researchers in any of the physical or life sciences, computer sciences or mathematics within the faculty.
“Being honoured with the Dorothy Shoichet Award means a lot to me,” says Eadie, “especially because some of my excellent mentors and colleagues in the astronomy and statistics departments have received this award in the past and I’m honoured to be included among this group.
“I founded the Astrostatistics Research Team (ART) at U of T in 2019 when I began my faculty career and the ART has grown substantially over the past two years. Through the teaching relief provided by this award, myself and the ART can focus intently on exciting research projects using the latest and upcoming data from telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.”
Eadie was nominated for the award for her overall achievements and, in particular, for her recent research into RR Lyrae (RRL) variable stars. Because there is an empirical relationship between their intrinsic brightness and the time it takes RRL stars to go from their brightest to their dimmest, they are used as “standard candles” to estimate RRL distances. A statistically robust, efficient and reproducible method for estimating RRL distances will hugely improve estimates of the mass of the Milky Way Galaxy and have implications for all other astronomical distance metrics. It may also shed light on the current controversy known as the “Hubble Tension,” in which the current rate of expansion of the universe is in dispute.
According to Roberto Abraham, chair of the David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, “Professor Eadie is a brilliant and talented astrophysicist. She is a rising star in two departments; she has made a large impact, by strengthening connections between astronomy and statistics, by undertaking extraordinarily exciting research on the distribution of dark matter in the Milky Way Galaxy, by educating the astrophysics community on cutting-edge statistical methodology, by making internal and international service contributions, and of course by securing research funding, grants, and prestigious awards.”
McFarlane is receiving the award for her research into how plants sense and respond to cell wall changes, work that has important applications in the production of renewable bioproducts including paper, cotton, wood, compostable bioplastics and next-generation renewable biofuels.
“I'm deeply honoured to receive the Dorothy Shoichet Award,” says McFarlane. “Time is a valuable resource in the lab and this award provides precious time and the opportunity to focus on research and research training. The award will accelerate my lab's research as we pursue several exciting directions in our efforts to understand plant cell-wall signaling.
“I'd like to express my gratitude to my department for nominating me, to Professor Molly Shoichet for generously establishing this fund, and to Dorothy Shoichet for inspiring this award.”
Previous attempts to modify plant cell walls for improved materials or biofuels exposed a critical gap in our understanding of how plants monitor their cell walls via largely unknown mechanisms called “cell-wall signaling.” By uncovering the molecular mechanisms that underlie these limitations in cell-wall engineering, McFarlane’s work is opening new avenues to grow plant-based renewable bioproducts. Support from the award will allow McFarlane and her research team to accelerate characterization of 21 new cell-wall signaling components.
According to Nicholas Provart, chair of the Department of Cell & Systems Biology, “The Dorothy Shoichet Award will support Professor McFarlane at a critical point in her career and recognizes her outstanding research and training record to date.
“Most importantly, this award will provide her with valuable time to accelerate her research to uncover the molecular mechanisms of cell wall signaling and to advance commercialization of some of her research results that may open new avenues for cell-wall engineering of innovative bioproducts that advance sustainability.”
Faculty of Arts & Science leadership have also extended their congratulations to the honorees.
“We are delighted to congratulate Professors Eadie and McFarlane on receiving this award,” says Stephen Wright, vice-dean, research & infrastructure. “It recognizes their exceptional research contributions and outstanding impact both within and beyond the academy, and provides valuable release from teaching in the interests of furthering their work.”
“Professor Shoichet herself had such an opportunity during the early years of her scholarship and wanted to ensure that other women researchers in science shared in it,” says Tamara Trojanowska, vice-dean, faculty & academic life. “We extend our warmest congratulations to the awardees and wish them every success with the prospects this award provides.”