2020 Award Recipients
Student Leadership for 2020. This award was established in 2008 to recognize exceptional students who have a record of academic achievement, consistently demonstrate leadership, and make significant contributions to our community.
Haley Vecchiarelli: Doctor of Philosophy, Neuroscience
Haley Vecchiarelli was recruited to UCalgary from the United States for her exemplary research abilities. She graduated from Barnard College in New York and had two years as a research assistant under her belt before joining UCalgary.
Throughout her graduate work, Vecchiarelli has authored 15 peer-reviewed articles and is working on another four from her PhD work. She is a Vanier Scholar and Killam Predoctoral Laureate — and has presented her work both nationally and internationally.
Vecchiarelli has held leadership positions with international scientific societies. She was elected as trainee representative for the board of directors for the International Cannabinoid Research Society as well as the co-chair of the Gordon Research Seminar on Cannabinoids.
Vecchiarelli has a strong history of giving back to the community; she has volunteered with the Brain Bee planning committee and the Calgary Youth Science Fair. Within the campus community, she has planned the Hotchkiss Brain Institute’s Summer Student Symposium, mentored undergraduate students in the lab and chaired numerous committees within the Graduate Student Association, for which she received the GSA Lifetime Achievement Award and Leadership Award.
Vecchiarelli is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Victoria, where she holds a Canadian Institutes of Health Research fellowship.