Two McMaster professors – one Canada’s pre-eminent scholar of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the other a world leader in polymer reaction engineering – have been named Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada, the country’s highest academic honour.

Eileen Schuller is a professor in McMaster’s department of Religious Studies and also the Senator William McMaster Chair in Social Sciences.

Schuller is “one of only a handful of international researchers responsible for the Scrolls’ initial decipherment and publication,” reads the citation from the Royal Society. “She has been instrumental in educating other scholars and the general public about the Scrolls and their significance.”

Shiping Zhu is a professor in Chemical Engineering at McMaster. His research helps turn recipes for new plastics and polymers into industrial processes.

Zhu’s “contributions range from developing new plastics to better approaches for preventing rejection of implanted plastic materials,” reads his citation. “Professor Zhu’s reputation puts him at the very top of both academic and industrial polymer chemical engineering research.”

“McMaster takes great pride in the achievements of Dr. Schuller and Dr. Zhu and well-deserved recognition,” says McMaster president Patrick Deane. “Being elected a Fellow of The Royal Society of Canada is the highest honour a scholar can achieve in the Arts, Humanities and Sciences and the entire University community congratulates our colleagues.”

Schuller and Zhu will be inducted to the academies of the Royal Society during the induction awards ceremony in November in Quebec City. Their election brings the number of McMaster-affiliated Fellows to 85.

Founded in 1882, the Royal Society of Canada comprises the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada. Its mission is to recognize scholarly, research and artistic excellence.