Three York University graduands will receive this year’s Governor General's Gold Medals, which recognize the outstanding scholastic achievements of graduate students in Canada. The 2025 recipients are Bianca Bondi, Laurence Butet-Roch and Vladimir Kanic.
The Governor General's Academic Medals are considered the highest honour earned by exemplary Canadian scholars throughout every level of academia. This year’s awardees offered words of gratitude to their peers and mentors, and expressed what the medals mean to them, ahead of their Spring Convocation ceremonies.
Bianca Bondi
Bondi completed her PhD in the clinical-developmental psychology and clinical neuropsychology programs at York University, where her research focused on how early brain development is shaped in children who experience a stroke around the time of birth. Working in partnership with the Hospital for Sick Children, she studied the factors that support or hinder recovery in medically complex children. Her graduate studies also included extensive clinical training in pediatric hospital settings and community mental health agencies.
She chose York University for its strong commitment to interdisciplinary and socially responsible research. Bondi says she found a training environment that supported both academic excellence and community impact, guided by outstanding faculty and a collaborative research culture. She is especially grateful to her supervisor, Professor Debra Pepler, for her mentorship and support throughout her studies.
“York nurtured both my clinical and scholarly growth,” says Bondi. “I’m eternally grateful to the Department of Psychology (Faculty of Health), and to Professor Pepler, whose unwavering guidance made this achievement possible.”
Bondi says receiving the Governor General’s Gold Medal is especially meaningful because it reflects not only academic accomplishment but also the relationships and purpose behind her work.
“This honour recognizes the many children and families who entrusted me with their stories,” Bondi says, “and the mentors who believed in me along the way.”
Bondi is currently completing a clinical-research fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children and working toward licensure as a clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist. Her goal is to lead integrated, inclusive programs that improve early diagnosis, expand access to mental health services and enhance developmental outcomes for young children at neurological risk.
Laurence Butet-Roch
Butet-Roch earned her PhD in environmental studies at York University, where her research explored how to document environmental harm without reinforcing the idea that communities facing pollution are damaged or expendable. Focusing on Canadian news coverage of Aamjiwnaang First Nation, located in southern Ontario’s Chemical Valley, her work used participatory methods and photography to develop new ways of portraying frontline communities that honour their complexity, strength and resilience.
She expressed deep gratitude to her supervisor, Cate Sandilands, and advisors Dayna Scott and Lisa Myers, whose guidance challenged and refined her thinking throughout her studies. She also credits the broader Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change community for its inspiring and insightful contributions to her academic journey.
“I see this award as a signal of the importance of challenging prevalent ways of seeing and reporting in Canada and of approaching research with an engaged and collaborative ethos,” says Butet-Roch. “This award is not mine alone, it also belongs to all those who contributed to this project, especially the members of Aamjiwnaang First Nation with whom I’ve been working. To all of them, chi miigwech for trusting me with this work.”
Butet-Roch will continue her research as a postdoctoral fellow in art history and communication studies at McGill University, supported by the Fonds de Recherche du Québec. Her current work furthers her inquiry into extractive visualities, representational justice and the politics of visibility in petroculture.
Vladimir Kanic
Kanic completed his MFA in visual arts at York University, where he explored how living algae could be used to create art. He treated algae not just as a material, but as a creative partner. His work looked at how humans and non-human life can connect, and how art might help repair the environment. This included developing new carbon-absorbing sculptures, a patented type of concrete made from air pollution, and algae-based artworks that use artificial intelligence to communicate their life processes.
"The sculptures are made from carbon captured as algal biomass, a new material that looks like glass and paper had a baby, and they incorporate living algae cultures that actively capture carbon and produce oxygen, and more biomass for sculpting. These processes have been patented as a biotech for producing bioconcrete," he says.
What started as a small algae farm in his studio eventually grew into large, interactive installations and innovative green technology. Kanic credits York’s support for creative, unconventional research as key to making that possible, and he is especially thankful for the guidance of Professor Marissa Largo in the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design throughout his studies.
“With immense support from my mentors, this humble beginning evolved dramatically,” says Kanic. “The University gave me the space to dream – and to bring those dreams into existence.”
He is honoured to receive the Governor General’s Gold Medal, which he sees as validation of risk-taking and boundary-pushing in the pursuit of new creative possibilities.
“This medal is deeply personal,” Kanic says. “It’s a recognition of all the risks, uncertainties and countless moments of doubt. It gives me the drive to continue exploring, creating and imagining new possibilities.”
Looking ahead, Kanic plans to expand his biomedia practice by integrating carbon-capturing living artworks into architecture, urban design and smart city infrastructure. He is also pursuing doctoral opportunities and collaborative partnerships that support his ongoing exploration of how art, science and technology can intersect to produce hopeful responses to climate change.