Six McMaster professors have been named 2022 University Scholars, an award that recognizes the achievements of mid-career researchers who are considered global leaders in a number of diverse research areas and academic disciplines.

Recipients have distinguished themselves as international scholars and have demonstrated a commitment to the discovery, communication and preservation of knowledge, excellence in education and pedagogy, and to serving local and global communities.

Each University Scholar will receive $15,000 each year of the award (up to $60,000), provided by the provost and vice-president academic and the recipient’s dean.

The 2022 University Scholars are:

Olufemi Ayeni, Professor in the department of surgery

Ayeni is academic head of orthopaedic surgery at McMaster and the medical director for the CFL Hamilton Tiger Cats and CPL Forge FC . He previously served as the assistant team physician for the NBA New Jersey Nets.

Ayeni has more than 300 academic publications in sport medicine, as well as several textbooks focused on sport medicine/research. A leading authority on hip injuries and conditions in the young adult, he is internationally known for advocating for evidence-based approaches to evaluate and treat hip-related syndromes and conditions.

Chelsea Gabel, Associate Professor in the department of health, aging and society

Gabel, the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Well-Being, Community Engagement, and Innovation, balances academic rigour with a sincere desire to drive positive social change through public policy.

Gabel conducts participatory research, defined and shaped in partnership with community members. In turn, the research helps to address challenges confronting Indigenous elders and youth in the face of changes to traditional Indigenous knowledge and health, social, economic and political processes.

Click here to learn more about her research.

Maryam Ghasemaghaei, Associate Professor, information systems

Ghasemaghaei, the chair of Information Systems in the DeGroote School of Business, studies how organizations can apply advanced technologies — such as big data analysis and artificial intelligence — to make better decisions.

She also works with researchers from other disciplines to study the key factors that impact the process through which leaders successfully pursue new strategic initiatives.

Ghasemaghaei’s multidisciplinary training in marketing, industrial management and information systems allows her to bring a diversified perspective to her research and teaching.

Click here to learn more about her research.

Jose Moran-Mirabal, Associate Professor in the department of chemistry and chemical biology

Moran-Mirabal is the Canada Research Chair in Micro and Nanostructured Materials and the founding scientific director of the Centre for Advanced Light Microscopy, a state-of-the-art facility that supports high-quality scientific research and cross-disciplinary research interactions.

He heads the Moran-Mirabal research group, which focuses on the study and application of micro- and nanoscale materials and devices. Moran-Mirabal is also developing application-based courses, where students learn chemical concepts through case studies and interactive tools.

Click here to learn more about his research.

Mehdi Narimani, Associate Professor, department of electrical and computer engineering

Narimani’s research interests include power conversion, high–power converters, modeling and control of power electronics in power systems, and renewable energy systems. He has authored or co-authored more than 130 journal and conference proceeding papers, co-authored a Wiley-IEEE Press book and holds several patents. He is the Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology and heads HiPEL, the High-Power Electronics Lab.

Narimani is the Canada Research Chair in High-Power Converters. Click here to learn more about his work.

Zena Samaan, Professor, department of psychiatry and behavioural neurosciences

Samaan is a core faculty member at the Population Genomics Program and Peter Boris Centre for Addiction Research. Her research and clinical interests centre on the interface between psychiatry and medicine — such as the interconnectedness of depression comorbidity with obesity and cardiovascular disease.

Samaan also studies opioid use disorders, especially the determinants of methadone maintenance treatment response and the comorbidity of psychiatric and addiction disorders. Click her to learn more about her recent research.