The CCUBC - oCUBE Emerging Educational Leader (EEL) Award

On behalf of the Canadian Council of University Biology Chairs (CCUBC) and the Open Consortium of Undergraduate Biology Educators (oCUBE), the Emerging Educational Leader Award recipents are:

2026 Recipient:  Dr. Haley Zubyk (University of Toronto, St. George)  

The winner of the 2026 EEL Award is Dr. Haley Zubyk!

Haley’s nomination was outstanding across all evaluation criteria, including innovation in teaching practices, impact on teaching & learning in biology, potential as a future educational leader, and engagement in the broader educational community! The committee was particularly impressed by how quickly she established her work, the impactful nature of her work on her home department and institution, and how effectively she has been weaving such a strong EDIA foundation into the work she does.

2025 Recipient:  Dr. Trisha Mahtani (University of Toronto, Scarborough) 

The winner of the inaugural EEL Award is Dr. Trisha Mahtani!

The CCUBC-oCUBE EEL award recognizes outstanding contributions by graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and sessional lecturers to biology education at their Canadian post-secondary institution. Trisha’s nomination stood out across all evaluation criteria, with particular strength in engagement in the broader educational community. In addition to demonstrating outstanding teaching innovation and local community engagement, Trisha has been deeply involved in educational initiatives outside of her UTSC Biology community, including as a post-doctoral scholar with the Canadian Consortium of Science Equity Scholars (CCSES) and a strong engagement with the oCUBE Executive and standing committees, highlighting her broad impact and commitment to educational initiatives.