Sponsored by the Canadian Council of University Chemistry Chairs (CCUCC)
The Clara Benson Award is presented to recognize a woman who has made a distinguished contribution to chemistry while working in Canada.
The 2026 awards are now open for submission.
Nominate yourself or a colleague deserving of recognition.
Press release: Award winners will be recognized at the x2026 Conference.
View the Terms of Reference and list of Past Winners
The 2025 winner of the Clara Benson Award is:
Stacey Wetmore, FCIC
University of Lethbridge
Stacey Wetmore is a leader in computational chemistry in Canada. Her rigorous and prolific research program has made pioneering contributions to nucleic acid chemistry. Her work uniquely uses the full spectrum of computational approaches and close collaborations with experimentalists to study how naturally occurring or environmentally-derived nucleic acid derivatives are processed in cells, and the design of synthetic analogues with novel applications in medicine or nanotechnology. Her work has globally impacted the way researchers think about the function of critical biomolecules and aided synthetic nucleic acid-analogue design. After completing her PhD at Dalhousie University and an NSERC-funded postdoctoral fellowship in Australia, she accepted a faculty position at Mount Allison and was subsequently recruited to Lethbridge as a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair. Her work has resulted in >190 publications and >130 invited talks, secured >$8 million in funding, and led to her Tier 1 Canada Research Chair appointment. She is highly sought after to serve on and chair national and international research, policy, and editorial boards, scientific peer review panels, society committees, and conference organization committees. She is a passionate mentor to all trainees in her lab, who have achieved numerous successes under her supervision and in their future careers.
Website
Past Winners