Three U of T alumni receive 2025-26 Governor General's Gold Medals

Three University of Toronto alumni have been recognized with 2025-26 Governor General’s Gold Medals.

Awarded annually to three U of T graduating students determined to have the highest academic standing, the medals are one of the most prestigious honours for graduate students in Canada. Candidates are evaluated based on their performance in degree courses, the merit of their thesis, and the originality and importance of their research.

The recipients of 2025-26 Governor General's Gold Medals at U of T are:

• Michael Beauvais (Doctor of Juridical Science, Henry N.R. Jackman Faculty of Law) – Beauvais's dissertation, Transparent Youth, engaged legal scholarship, media and surveillance studies, and developmental psychology, with his research and expertise already making an impact at the policy level in North America. He is a Max Weber Postdoctoral Fellow at the European University Institute. 
• Emma Lecavalier (PhD, department of political science, Faculty of Arts & Science) – Lecavalier's thesis, Technologies of Orchestration: Defining and Designing Urban Decarbonization through the Cities Race to Zero, examines urban climate governance and is already viewed as key scholarship in both urban climate and global governance. She is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at the Oxford Climate Policy Hub in the University of Oxford.
• Daniel Lysak (PhD, department of chemistry, Faculty of Arts & Science) – Lysak's thesis, Towards Multiplexed Nuclear Magnetic Resonance for Environmental Analysis, and research include novel analytical approaches to key environmental concerns. Now a senior research associate and environmental manager at U of T Scarborough's Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Centre, Lysak previously earned an honours bachelor of science at U of T Scarborough, with a perfect GPA.

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