Dr. Margo Seltzer elected as Fellow of Royal Society of Canada
Dr. Margo Seltzer of UBC Computer Science is a newly elected Fellow to the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) this year, along with six other UBC faculty.
The current fellowship of the RSC includes over 2,500 scholars, artists, and scientists across Canada, who have been peer-elected as best in their field. Recognition by the RSC for career achievement is the highest honour an individual can achieve in the Arts, Sciences, and Social Sciences within Canada.
Dr. Margo Seltzer is a Professor and co-Head of the Department of Computer Science at UBC, as well as a Canada 150 Research Chair in Computer Systems and Cheriton Family Chair in Computer Science. Upon being elected, Dr. Seltzer said, “I am honored to have been elected to the Royal Society, grateful to my nominator, and particularly happy to be celebrating this in the same year that I became a Canadian citizen.”
Her contributions have been extensive. Margo Seltzer’s creativity and foresight underly her pioneering contributions to Computer Systems including novel data storage systems; data provenance systems that document how digital data has been created and processed, support computational reproducibility, and enable system-level anomaly detection; and interpretable machine learning models that provide transparency in high-stakes decision making. She is a visionary leader, caring mentor, and dedicated community builder.
On Friday, November 8, 2024, the RSC will induct this year’s Fellows and Members at a ceremony as part of their Celebration of Excellence and Engagement event in Vancouver, British Columbia. 
Alain-G. Gagnon, President of the RSC, explains how the award acknowledges the significant effects RSC Fellows have on Canada, “The Royal Society of Canada is very proud to welcome today an imposing group of inspiring scholars, artists, and creators whose peers have recognized their exceptional contributions to the world of science and culture and to the well-being of Canada. The impact of their work will continue to be felt in the development of public policies for years to come, while contributing to the well-being of our society.”
Dr. Anne Condon nominated Dr. Seltzer. “I nominated Margo because she is a visionary who takes a ‘people first’ approach to computer systems design. Her research has transformed how digital data is stored and processed in ways that have a tremendously positive social impact,” Condon said.
About the RSC
Founded in 1882, the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) comprises the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences, and The College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. The RSC recognizes excellence, advises the government and the larger society, and promotes a culture of knowledge and innovation in Canada and with other national academies around the world.
RSC Press Release about the incoming Fellows
Announcement from the UBC Office of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation