Delia Pan (photo 1) and Devika Singh (photo 2) pictured with Timothy Chan, Associate Vice-President and Vice-Provost, Strategic Initiatives, their thesis supervisor Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Simon Rabyniuk, donor Peter Shannon Wilson, University Chief Librarian Larry P. Alford. Photo 3: The winners of the 2026 Patricia and Peter Shannon Wilson Undergraduate Research Prize: Devika Singh, Delia Pan, Parmin Sedigh Tonekaboni, Alex Drotenko, Sabrina Isabelle McLennon and Lorraine Pan (all photos by Paul Terefenko). 

In today’s era of rapid technological advancement, with more information at our fingertips than ever before, it can be easy – and tempting – to fast-track the research process. For students who choose to dig deeper, the results can be surprising, enlightening and even groundbreaking. The Peter and Patricia Shannon Wilson Undergraduate Research Prize celebrates these exceptional students who use U of T’s libraries to unlock exciting new pathways of scholarship. 

Now in its 10th year, the Wilson Prize was established through the generosity of Peter and Patricia Shannon Wilson, whose endowment honours their family’s deep belief in education and a lifelong connection to U of T, its staff, and its libraries.

“Here at U of T, we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of research excellence and academic achievement, not only in Canada, but globally,” said University Chief Librarian Larry P. Alford in his remarks at the event. “The Patricia and Peter Shannon Wilson Undergraduate Research Prize is a testament to this commitment, and it’s clear that this recognition leaves a lasting impact.” 

At this year’s awards ceremony on April 17th at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, six winners and their supporting instructors spoke about their winning projects, connected by one common thread: a shared commitment to critical and innovative thinking, supported by library research. 

This year, two fourth-year architectural studies students from Daniels received a Wilson Prize: Delia Pan and Devika Singh were both supported by Assistant Professor Simon Rabyniuk. 

Pan’s thesis project “Between Renewal and Memory: A Resident-Centered Framework for Taiwan’s Aging Housing” explored urban renewal, gentrification, and housing accessibility in Taipei. Pan started with broader search terms and targeted filters, which led her to a key article via ScienceDirect. She also explored U of T’s Chinese and Japanese-language holdings to deepen her area of scholarship: “I’m grateful that U of T’s collections include texts from diverse cultures and languages,” she says. “This multilingual approach allowed me to engage with Taiwanese and Japanese scholars’ perspectives directly, rather than through translated intermediaries." 

Pan will begin her master of architecture at Cornell University this September.

Singh’s winning project “A Choreography of Things: The Making of Indo-Caribbean Identity” is a micro-history of the Guianese bottom house - a covered ground-level area common to Guiana’s Indo-Caribbean and Afro-Caribbean communities.

Singh met with librarians, including Eberhard Zeidler Library’s head librarian Cathryn Copper, to explore subject-specific databases and tools for interdisciplinary research. “These one-on-one consultations reframed the library as a collaborative research community rather than a passive resource,” Singh says. She also conducted interviews with her Guyanese father as part of her research and used library resources like architecture drawings and colonial records to supplement his memories.

Singh will pursue further graduate study in architectural history at the Architectural Association (AA) School in London, U.K. 

Simon Rabyniuk, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, at the Wilson Undergraduate Research Prize ceremony hosted by U of T Libraries at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library (all photos by Paul Terefenko).

“The Wilson Prizes not only recognize extraordinary student work — they also highlight the guidance of faculty, librarians, and mentors who support students through every stage of the research process,” said Timothy Chan, Associate Vice-President and Vice-Provost, Strategic Initiatives in his remarks at the ceremony. “The generosity and vision of Peter and Patricia Shannon Wilson have opened doors for students to make meaningful contributions to academic life at U of T.”

Thanks to the support of the Wilsons, the mentorship of UTL librarians and the library’s vast repository of archival resources, collections and materials, this year’s Wilson Prize winners have developed the confidence, skills, and intellectual curiosity that will guide them through lifelong learning. After all, every great research journey begins with a question – and the library can be the key that unlocks the answer.

Read the full story by Alison Lang: A decade of discovery with the Wilson Research Prize

Photos by Paul Terefenko courtesy of U of T Libraries