CSM Murray Award for Career Achievement
Deadline Extended to: January 30th, 2026
About the Award
The CSM Award is the Society’s Premier award for senior researchers. After several recent name changes over the last few years, the CSM Executive has decided to permanently name the award in honour of the Murray family. Professor R.G.E. Murray and his father E.G.D Murray had a seminal role in the genesis of the CSM, and both had storied careers in microbiology. The Society is honoured that Professor R.G.E. Murray has agreed to have the family name affiliated with the CSM Award.
Canadian Science Publishing, publisher of the Canadian Journal of Microbiology, has been sponsoring the award since 2011. We are now accepting nominations year-round for the CSM Murray Award.
Value of the Award: $1500 + Complimentary Registration to the CSM Annual Conference & Framed Certificate.
Number of Awards: 1
Frequency of the Award: Annual
Eligibility: Any Canadian citizen or resident of Canada who has done outstanding scientific work in microbiology and who has an active CSM/SCM membership or had a membership prior to retirement shall be eligible for the Award. The award may be based upon an ccumulation of accomplishments or a single outstanding contribution. An individual could qualify for the award more than once, but only on the basis of different accomplishments.
Award Lecture: The awardee will present a 40 minute talk based on the work for which the award was given during the Annual Conference of the CSM/SCM. In addition the awardee will also provide a review article based on the talk for submission in the Canadian Journal of Microbiology (CJM) which is published by the Canadian Science Publishing. The award consists of a cheque in the amount of $1,500.00 and an inscribed award plaque, presented at the President’s Banquet at the conclusion of the Conference. Travel expenses incidental to receiving the award are not reimbursed. Canadian Science Publishing has been sponsoring the award since 2011.
Application Contact: CSM Secretariat at info@csm-scm.org
Nomination Process: A letter of nomination from a qualified microbiologist is required. The letter should include a description of the research on which the nomination is based (up to two letters may be included). A Tri-Agency CV should also be included (see below for instructions). All materials should be submitted using the online form below.
As the CSM Murray award is the Society’s premier award for senior researchers, as part of the evaluation criteria, the adjudication committee will take into account the nominee’s contributions to the Society. As such, the nomination package, preferably using the Personal Statement section of the CV, should include a 5-page narrative-style Tri-Agency CV (https://cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/53574.html) from the nominee. This CV allows the nominee to provide some detail on their contributions to microbiology teaching and the Canadian Society of Microbiologists.
Core Principles for Adjudicating Awards:
The Canadian Society of Microbiologists is dedicated to ensuring that all applications and nominations for its awards are evaluated with fairness, transparency, and inclusivity, firmly rooted in the principles of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). The Society acknowledges the importance of cultivating an environment where individuals from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are valued and acknowledged. To this end, the adjudication process is designed to actively eliminate biases and barriers, uphold impartiality, and guarantee equitable access for all candidates. Incorporating the principles of EDI, the Society aims to recognize excellence that mirrors the rich diversity of the microbiology community, fostering representation across genders, ethnicities, linguistic groups, and underrepresented identities. For example, adjudication committees may implement unconscious bias training to ensure an equitable evaluation process. Additionally, the Society may establish systems to monitor and report demographic trends among award recipients, enabling ongoing assessment and enhancement of diversity. This approach not only reinforces the integrity of the awards but also aligns with the Society’s broader mission to support diversity and drive innovation within the field of microbiology in Canada.
About R.G.E. Murray
Microbiology in Canada received national attention when Professor Emeritus R.G.E. Murray, University of Western Ontario, was appointed as an officer of the Order of Canada. He was honoured for his lifetime contributions to the development of microbiology in Canada. The Canadian Society of Microbiologists owes a special debt of gratitude to Dr. Murray. He was chairman of the Founding Committee for the Society, 1950-1951 and Founding President, 1951-1952. The Society, he said, was “a much-needed catalyst and unifier for the diverse applied and basic microbiologists of the country”. He has remained an active member of the Society throughout his scientific career and was elected an honorary member in 1985. Societies and their journals, particularly the Canadian and American Societies, continued to be important to Dr. Murray over the years. He persuaded the National Research Council of Canada that a microbiology journal was a justifiable publication and was appointed the founding editor of the Canadian Journal of Microbiology, 1954-1960. Prior to this appointment, he was a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Bacteriology, 1951-1954, and again from 1980-1986. He found his editorship of Bacteriological (later Microbiological, then Microbiology and Molecular Biology) Reviews, 1969-1979, to be a challenge, during which he honed his editorial skills. This involvement with the review journal increased his interest in the affairs of the American Society for Microbiology. He was elected President, 1972-1973, and an honorary member in 1988. He was also elected an honorary member of the Society for Applied Bacteriology in 1988. One of Dr. Murray’s passions in life has been taxonomy. He inherited this interest honestly from his father, E.G.D. Murray, who was a trustee of Bergey’s Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, 1936-1964. After his father’s death in 1964, he was asked to join the Bergey’s Manual Board of Trustees, and thus began another long association of a Murray with Bergey’s Manual. He was Chairman of the Board of Trustees from 1976-1990. He has been a member of the International Committee for Systematic Bacteriology (International Association of Microbiological Societies) since 1962, and chairman from 1982-1990. He was elected an honorary member of ICSB in 1990. He was associate editor of the International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology, 1982-1990 and editor from 1991-1994, and he was a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Bacterial Diseases Network of Centres of Excellence in an advisory capacity.
Dr. Murray’s research in bacterial cytology, structure, function, systematics and taxonomy has brought numerous honours and awards: the Harrison Prize, Royal Society of Canada (shared with C.F. Robinow), 1957; Fellowship in the Royal Society of Canada, 1958; the Canadian Society of Microbiologists Award, 1963; election to the American Academy of Microbiology, 1973; the Flavelle Medal, Royal Society of Canada, 1984; and the J. Roger Porter Award, American Society for Microbiology (U.S. Federation of Culture Collections), 1987. He also holds honorary degrees from the University of Western Ontario and the University of Guelph and was granted the degree Doctor of Science honoris causa by McGill University in 2007. Many of his students and postdoctoral fellows continue on the microbiological path he has forged for them.
Past Award Winners
Congratulations to all of our past award winners for the CSM Murray Award for Career Achievement!
- 2025: Dr. Raymond J. Turner, University of Calgary
- 2024: Dr. Caroline Duchaine, Université Laval
- 2023: Dr. Michael Surette, McMaster University
- 2022: Dr. Roger Levesque, Université Laval
- 2021: Dr. Turlough Finan, McMaster University
- 2020: Dr. Lori Burrows, McMaster University
- 2019: Dr. Yves Brun, Université de Montréal
- 2018: Dr. Gregor Reid, Lawson Health Research Institute
- 2017: Dr. Sylvain Moineau, Université Laval
- 2016: Dr. William Mohn, University of British Columbia
- 2015: Dr. Mark Wainberg, McGill University
- 2014: Dr. Keith Poole, Queen's University
- 2013: Dr. Gerard Wright, McMaster University
- 2012: Dr. Eric Brown,McMaster University
- 2011: Dr. George Chaconas, University of Calgary