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Professor Chun Wei Choo Recognized as Outstanding Doctoral Supervisor

Submitted on Friday, June 10, 2016

sm_choo-awardCongratulations to Professor Chun Wei Choo, who has won one of two prestigious 2016 JJ Berry Smith Doctoral Supervision Awards at U of T for 2016.

Incredibly, over more than 20 years, Prof. Choo has supervised 14% of the Faculty’s PhD graduates—approximately three times the average!

“Doctoral research is central to developing the intellectual core of the Faculty, and his leadership in supervising and mentoring PhD students is a huge achievement,” said his colleague, Professor Costis Dallas, Associate Professor and Director of the Collaborative Programs at the iSchool. “He is an inspiration, and an example as an academic to all of us.”

Presented at the School of Graduate Studies Awards and Fellowships Reception on May 31 at the Faculty Club, Interim Dean, Wendy Duff, accepted the award (pictured on left) on Professor Choo’s behalf. “I am so pleased that Chun Wei’s incredible contribution to our doctoral program has received this acknowledgement.”

Professor Choo joined the Faculty in 1993 to research and teach in information and knowledge management, information seeking, environmental scanning, organizational learning, and the management of information technology.

“I would like to share this award with my colleagues at the iSchool,” said Professor Choo in an email, as he was unable to attend the ceremony in person. “Doctoral supervision at the iSchool is very much a collaborative effort, and we are very fortunate to have an amazing group of faculty and doctoral students who work so well together and who are committed to pursuing high quality research that would advance the information discipline.”

Another colleague, Professor Siobhan Stevenson, echoes the sentiment on an award so deserving: “What a testament to his gifts as a teacher and mentor and this, not only for his students, but also his colleagues. Even in his reception of this award, he redirects the spotlight away from himself to shine it on our community. He is its heart.”

Each year, the JJ Berry Smith Doctoral Supervision Award recognizes two faculty members who, for over a minimum of 15 years, have demonstrated outstanding performance in the multiple roles associated with doctoral (PhD, EdD, DMA, SJD) supervision including inspiring and guiding students, providing a supportive and stimulating environment, fostering a strong sense of academic integrity, and positioning students for careers within and outside academia.

Prof. Choo’s work has appeared in numerous books, articles and journals, and incredibly, has been translated into six languages. He has partnered on research projects with a number of organizations, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, Human Resource Development Canada, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, among others.

Locke Rowe, Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, noted at the ceremony: “Professor Choo has been a mentor and inspiration to many of the Faculty’s doctoral students and junior faculty members. His former students have been well prepared for careers in both academia and industry.”

Recipients receive a certificate, a School of Graduate Studies Travel or Conference Award to support a doctoral student’s conference participation or research travel, and have their name inscribed on a plaque at the School of Graduate Studies.

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