Fredericton Faculty of Arts

Dr. Gary Waite, Professor of History, received the inaugural University of New Brunswick Award for Excellence in Research at UNB’s 64th Convocation held October 18th, 2018.

This new award promotes and celebrates intellectual inquiry and discovery. Initiated by a gift from Dr. Friedrich (Fritz) Grein, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, the UNB Award for Excellence in Research honours faculty for their “outstanding research, scholarly, or creative achievements at the University of New Brunswick.”

“I am deeply honoured to receive the UNB Award for Excellence in Research,” said Waite.

“Thanks to the great level of support I have received from family, especially from my partner Kate, my History colleagues, the Faculty of Arts, and of course SSHRC, I have had a highly rewarding research career.”

According to Dr. Waite, “we need to understand why people believe and act the way they do.” He has spent his career exploring these questions as they relate to Early Modern Europe (c. 1400-1700), an era of tremendous religious persecution and conflict.

“I have focused on the roots and effects of prejudicial thinking and demonizing rhetoric. Researching the Netherlands has also provided me with the privilege of seeing how these deleterious attitudes could be challenged and suppressed in a nation which turned explicitly to freedom of conscience and tolerance of religious diversity.”

Dean of Arts Joanne Wright said, “I heartily congratulate Gary Waite on being the inaugural recipient of this prestigious award! It’s a wonderful recognition of Dr. Waite’s rigorous research over a highly productive career, and it confirms the ongoing relevance and, indeed, the priority of meaningful research in the humanities.”

You can read more about Dr. Waite’s career and this special award on the 64th Convocation award description entry and on by visiting Dr. Waite’s profile page.