The Robbins-Ollivier Award for Excellence in Equity recognizes the contributions that Marjorie Griffin Cohen, Louise Forsyth, Glenis Joyce, Audrey Kobayashi, Shree Mulay, Susan Prentice, Michèle Ollivier and Wendy Robbins have made to increase the level of equity within the Canada Research Chairs Program (CRCP) and Canada’s research ecosystem more broadly, by way of their 2003 Canadian Human Rights complaints and their concerted efforts in the mediation processes, which led to both the 2006 Settlement Agreement and its addendum in 2019.
Three awards valued at $100,000 are conferred annually through a formal peer review process.
Institutions that are eligible for the CRCP are invited to nominate an eligible faculty member or a team of eligible faculty members, each year, who will lead bold and potentially game-changing initiatives that will challenge the status quo, spark change and take action to address persistent systemic barriers in the research ecosystem and academia.
The deadline to submit nominations to the 2025 award is November 4, 2025.
Winners of the 2024 award competition
| Awardee(s) |
Institution |
Award value |
Project title |
Project summary |
| Travers |
Simon Fraser University |
$100,000 |
Trans Equity Data Initiative (TEDI) |
Amid rising political trans-antagonism in Canada, our proposal aims to create a transformative, trans-led mechanism to drive trans equity action within Simon Fraser University (SFU). The ultimate goal is to hold university leaders accountable to meaningful improvements that ensure equitable participation of trans students at SFU. TEDI is anchored by a novel Trans Data Stewardship Board, composed of trans individuals who oversee real-time data collection to identify existing and emerging barriers in culture, safety, education, health benefits, and information systems. The board will host workshops to review data and brainstorm solutions, which will be continually communicated to university administrators to inform policy changes. |
| Kalaichelvi Saravanamuttu |
McMaster University |
$100,000 |
Changing the face of science at McMaster: A three pillared approach of outreach, curriculum building and disaggregated data analysis |
Equity initiatives are impactful only when we work as community—a formidable challenge in colonial institutions. We formed an organizational community of educators; scientists; and equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDIA) practitioners to empower science students from equity deserving groups (EDGs). Recognizing support must begin at school, we combine three interconnected approaches: (i) year-long outreach for Black, Indigenous, Latinx high school students; (ii) antiracist, anti-oppression, EDIA curriculum for undergraduates; and (iii) disaggregated demographic data analysis to drive continuous improvement. Pilots (2023-24) showed unprecedented impact on student engagement. With funding, this movement could transform the diversity and success of EDG science students. |
| Stephen Ross |
University of Victoria |
$100,000 |
Indigenous Storyteller in Residence (ISIR) |
The proposed ISIR at the University of Victoria (UVic) aims to challenge and begin to dismantle two key systemic barriers to Indigenous student participation in postsecondary education at UVic: a) the First-Year English requirement, and b) a research culture still resistant to Indigenous ways of knowing. The ISIR will actively recruit and help register aspiring Indigenous students, and teach a dedicated section of first-year English for Indigenous students. The ISIR will also facilitate faculty workshops and visit labs and research centres to help researchers across campus effectively integrate storytelling and Indigenous ways of knowing into their research practices. |