GAC® National Medals & Awards
W.W. Hutchison Medal
W.W. Hutchison Medallist –
Dr. Michael Caldwell
Citation
Dr. Michael Caldwell completed his B.Sc degree at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, with First Class Honours in Paleontology in 1991. Thereafter, he began his doctoral research at McGill University supported by an NSERC scholarship, under the supervision of Robert Carroll in the Department of Biology, and was awarded the Ph.D in 1995. His doctoral research in vertebrate paleontology was awarded the Romer Prize from the Society of Vertebrate paleontologists in 1994. Michael joined the University of Alberta in 2000, following an appointment at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, and an NSERC postdoctoral fellowship at the Field Museum, Chicago.
Michael Caldwell is an innovative and productive researcher with an international reputation. His research focuses on the evolution of snakes, lizards and marine reptiles and these research interests drive an active field research program that has in the last five years conducted research at locations in eastern Europe, Canada, England, New Zealand and Argentina. Michael's research has also captured the imagination of the general public, with research headlines such as "snakes "with legs", and he and his research are regularly featured in television, radio and print media in National Geographic Society specials, CBC Canada, The Discovery Channel, CNN, ABC and others. Michael is a respected and popular teacher at the University of Alberta and actively supervises numerous graduate students.