EDRA CAREER AWARD

The EDRA Career Award is given in recognition of a career of sustained and significant contributions to environment design research, practice, or teaching.

Eligibility

• Candidates in the area of design research shall have produced a body of work that provides significant insights into the relationship between environment and behavior.

• Candidates in the area of practice shall have made significant and lasting contributions to the planning and design of the environment through the application of design research.

• Candidates in the area of teaching shall have made positive, stimulating and nurturing influences upon students over an extended period of time and have inspired a generation of students who have contributed to environmental design research.

All nominees must be EDRA members in good standing*.

*Past recipients are not eligible to receive this award more than once. Current board members are not eligible for this award while in office; however, they may be nominated after three (3) years of leaving the board.

Timeline

• Closed for this year. 

Nomination Process

The materials should be submitted in one (1) PDF document and should not be more than 20 pages in length and 5 MB in file size.

Documentation Nominations (by self or others) are invited to submit for this award. The nomination packet must include:

1. One page summary explaining the reasons for the nomination signed by three (3) EDRA members;
2. Resume summarizing the career and achievements of the candidate; and
3. Additional supporting materials illustrating the nominee’s contributions.

Separate from the nomination packet, we request the nominator(s) to include a publish-ready photo of the nominee and a short biography. These additional items should not exceed 5 MB in file size. 

2025 EDRA Career Award

Dr. Stephen Verderber

Arch,D., NCARB, ACSA Distinguished Professor

Stephen Verderber is the director of the Centre for Design + Health Innovation, as well as a scholar, researcher, practitioner, and registered architect whose specialization is architecture, design therapeutics, and health. He is a professor at both the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, a rare interdisciplinary appointment.

Stephen is a co-founder of R-2ARCH/Los Angeles and New Orleans, and was engaged in pro bono community service work in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans. He has received numerous design and research awards and has lectured internationally. He holds a doctorate in architecture from the University of Michigan.

Stephen has previously taught at Tulane University and Clemson University, and has been a guest design critic at numerous other universities. The American Institute of Architects AIA Education Honor Award program has recognized him for his interdisciplinary seminar courses. In 2005, he was the sole recipient of the Distinguished Professor Medal, bestowed by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA). Prior to assuming the role of the Centre’s founding director, he served the Daniels Faculty as associate dean for research (2014-2017).

PAST CAREER AWARD RECIPIENTS