Geography professor W. George Lovell.

Geography professor W. George Lovell and biochemistry professor Zongchao Jia are two of the eight outstanding Canadian scientists and scholars to be awarded Killam Research Fellowships for 2011.

The Fellowships, among Canada’s most distinguished research awards, provide $70,000 a year for two years to each of the researchers. They enable recipients to devote themselves to independent research.

"I am delighted that the value of Dr. Lovell’s and Dr. Jia’s research is being recognized,” says Vice-Principal (Research) Steven Liss. “They are internationally recognized for the contributions they have made to their fields. These awards are a great honour for both Dr Lovell and Dr. Jia, and Queen’s is proud to support the work of two such eminent scholars.”

Dr. Lovell, who studies Maya peoples in Guatemala, has been awarded a Fellowship in Social Sciences (Historical Geography).

Biochemistry professor Zongchao Jia.

“I feel myself to be most fortunate, indeed blessed, to receive this honour,” says Dr. Lovell. “The Killam Research Fellowship will allow me to dedicate the next two years to researching and writing a book on Maya cultural survival in Guatemala from the time of the Conquest to the present.”

Dr. Jia has been awarded a Fellowship in Natural Sciences (Biochemistry). Dr. Jia’s research will focus on the impact of a protein found within E. coli called AceK that could be targeted to inhibit bacterial growth in water and food. He will also examine the possibility of using AceK in the creation of biomolecules with reduced costs and CO2 emissions.

For more information about the Killam Research Fellowships, visit the Canada Council for the Arts website.