Gary Libben is fascinated with the way language has shaped civilizations, cultures, communities and collective knowledge throughout history.

The drive to understand humans’ ability to use words has taken the Professor of Applied Linguistics around the world and deep into the human psyche.

He recently received one of 30 Royal Society of Canada (RSC) King Charles III Coronation Medal for his contributions to the organization’s goals of recognizing Canadian research excellence, mentoring new scholars and advising governments, non-governmental organizations and Canadians on matters of public interest.

“I’m thrilled to receive this medal,” he says. “I’m deeply committed to the Royal Society of Canada’s mission to foster knowledge and insights and share those with the wider Canadian public.”

He was first elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2008 for making an exceptional impact in his field. He has since held several significant roles within the organization, including his current position as RSC Secretary.

Libben is recognized as an global expert in how words are represented in the human mind and brain, how they are linked to one another, and how they are accessed in the processes of language comprehension and production.

In 2006, he co-founded The Mental Lexicon, an international journal featuring neurolinguistic and psycholinguistic research on the representation and processing of words.

He also serves as Director of Words in the World, an international network bringing together international experts to train and mentor the next generation of researchers in the areas of language and aging, language learning and the effects of brain damage on communication.

This project arose from a 2016 Partnership Grant of almost $2.5 million from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, which is funded by the Government of Canada.

In 2020, Libben and his team hosted an international Words in the World conference highlighting student research on how the brain and mind represent and process words. During the year, there were also virtual “drop-in” sessions where students worldwide could connect directly with experts in the field.

“Mentorship is the key part of research,” says Libben. “If you don’t have that, you don’t have the continuity; you don’t get to build one piece of knowledge upon the other.”

In his research, Libben and his colleagues use a variety of psycholinguistic laboratory techniques. They conduct experiments in multiple languages — including English, French, German, Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese and Kannada —  and across populations, such as older adults with aphasia and children.

“Dr. Libben’s scholarship is mobilizing the world’s understanding of language processing, and he is actively preparing the next generation of global scholars to advance this knowledge far into the future,” says Acting Vice-President, Research Michelle McGinn. “As a scholar and research leader, Dr. Libben embodies the ideals of the Royal Society of Canada, advancing the Society’s mission and contributing to a stronger, more vibrant world.”