![](https://psych.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/11/45251752914_d1f6926434_z.jpg)
![](https://psych.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/11/45251752914_d1f6926434_z.jpg)
L-R: Arthur Joseph LeBlanc, Lieutenant Governor, Nova Scotia, and Janet Werker, Professor of Psychology, UBC
Dr. Janet Werker, a professor in the Department of Psychology, was awarded the 2018 Killam Prize in Social Sciences, one of Canada’s most prestigious awards for academic-career achievement. Dr. Werker attended a special presentation of 2018 Killam Prizes with Arthur Joseph LeBlanc, Lieutenant Governor, Nova Scotia, on November 18, 2018 and a UBC Killam celebration with Professor Santa J. Ono, UBC’s President and Vice-Chancellor, on November 22, 2018.
![](https://psych.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/11/UBC_20181122_4632-J.Werker-1024x684.jpg)
![](https://psych.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/11/UBC_20181122_4632-J.Werker-1024x684.jpg)
L-R: Professor Santa J. Ono, Janet Werker,and Bernard Miller, Managing Trustee of the Killam Trusts
Dr. Werker, a Killam University Professor and Canada Research Chair in Developmental Psychology, is one of the founders and co-directors of the UBC Language Sciences Initiative. This initiative catalyzes language-related research and integrates it with undergraduate teaching and graduate training.
Through her research, Dr. Werker explores the foundations of language learning, including multi-language acquisition in infancy.
“As an academic, you can change the research questions you ask, the way you teach, the kind of community outreach you do or new institute you create – in other words – not only can you always reinvent yourself, there are also so many diverse ways you can make a difference.”
Learn more in this video
About the Killam Prize
Awarded by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Killam Prize recognizes eminent Canadian scholars and scientists actively engaged in research and whose lifetime of work has impacted the lives of Canadians and people around the world. Winners and recipients are chosen by a selection committee of their peers and receive a $100,000 prize.