Audrey Kobayashi, a professor in the Department of Geography, recently accepted a Royal Society of Canada fellowship.

Audrey Kobayashi has been named a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC).

“To be elected to the RSC is both an honour and a humbling experience. I can think of no more important validation of one’s work, especially because I have always strived to work collaboratively, in close concert with community, and these are areas that are not always recognized,” says Dr. Kobayashi.

Dr. Kobayashi is a leading theorist in the discipline of geography with major contributions on racism, gender and spatial theory. She is primarily interested in the process by which human differentiation—race, class, gender, ability, national identity—emerges in a range of landscapes including homes, streets and workplaces. As a result of her research and numerous publications, Dr. Kobayashi has influenced the development of Canadian public policy in areas such as equity, human rights, immigration, citizenship, disability and cultural identity.

Dr. Kobayashi, the graduate coordinator in the Department of Geography, has also done a great deal to shape the next generation of scholars and academics. In 2010 she won the Queen’s Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Supervision with one of her graduate students praising her “integrity, passion, encouragement and kindness.”

Queen’s alumni Ian Dowbiggin (MA’77) and James Rutka (Meds’81) were also elected to the RSC.

The RSC recognizes excellence in learning and research, advises governments and organizations, and promotes Canadian culture. Election to the academies of the RSC is the highest honour a scholar can achieve in the arts, humanities and social sciences.

For more information, visit the Royal Society of Canada’s website.