Dr. Kevin Hewitt has compiled a long list of accomplishments during his quarter century at 麻豆传媒. In addition to being a full professor in the Department of Physics & Atmospheric Science, Dr. Hewitt is also the Faculty of Science鈥檚 associate dean, equity and inclusion, one of three inaugural NSERC Chairs for Inclusion in Science and Engineering in Atlantic Canada, and the co-founder of the Dal-based . He also served as chair of 麻豆传媒 Senate for six years.
Nevertheless, he admitted to being struck by imposter syndrome after finding out he was selected as one of three recipients of the 2025 Holland Awards听听by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA), a U.S.-based non-profit that has supported physical sciences research since its founding in 1912.
Along with a cash prize of $5,000, Holland Award winners join the community of , a collection of more than 500 members from institutions across Canada and the United States recognized for research and leadership excellence.
Holland Awards nominations can only be made by current Cottrell Scholars, and while Dr. Hewitt knew that Dr. Nancy Forde of Simon Fraser University (SFU) had nominated him, he did not expect it to result in success.
鈥淣ancy convinced me, despite my doubts, that my work was worthy of recognition,鈥� says Dr. Hewitt, who got to know his nominator while earning a PhD at SFU before coming to Dal as a postdoctoral fellow under Dr. Jeff Dahn. 鈥淚 am forever grateful for her confidence in me!鈥�
Dr. Hewitt speaks at a Dal event last year. (Nick Pearce photo)
Building community
Along with the opportunity to apply for exclusive Cottrell Scholars funding opportunities, Dr. Hewitt says he鈥檚 looking forward to connecting with his new community at their annual conference in Tucson, Arizona from July 16-18. 鈥淣ormally, when you receive an award, there's a group of past recipients, but they are not brought together formally into a community with access to further funding!鈥澨�
New members will introduce themselves and their work with a presentation to the 31-year-old Cottrell Scholars community, and Dr. Hewitt is preparing one that incorporates social justice into his research as a medical physicist, discussing the development of medical devices to improve transplantation outcomes and a nanomedicine used to identify and treat triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).
鈥淲e have a 10-year goal of developing a point-of-need device for Vitamin D detection, as its deficiency is associated with uterine fibroids (UF),鈥� he says, noting TNBC and UF are two conditions disproportionately affecting Black women.
The conference will offer an opportunity to showcase how research knows no borders, countering the divisions that have characterized 2025
He鈥檚 also hoping the gathering will bring scholars from both sides of the border closer together.
鈥淭he award celebrates outstanding Canadian and American researchers,鈥� says Dr. Hewitt. 鈥淭he conference will offer an opportunity to showcase how research knows no borders, countering the divisions that have characterized 2025.鈥�
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