During his tenure, Darren Gilmour created a college of new scholars, which brought young, leading intellectuals into the Royal Society of Canada early in their career.
The executive director of the Royal Society of Canada is stepping down, which leaves the academic association without a top administrator who forged new coalitions on its behalf, enhanced its public profile, expanded its reach and worked to acquire a permanent home in Ottawa.
Darren Gilmour will depart the organization in May after 16 years, having elected to step down, according to the Royal Society’s president, Françoise Baylis.
Mr. Gilmour said in a news release that he leaves the organization in a position to “enhance its contribution to a better country at a critical moment in Canadian history.” He did not respond to interview requests.
Alain-G. Gagnon, past president of the Royal Society and Canada Research Chair in Quebec and Canadian Studies at the University of Quebec at Montreal, said Mr. Gilmour leaves a long list of accomplishments and huge shoes to fill.
“His contribution has been simply outstanding. He would be very hard to replace,” Prof. Gagnon said.
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Chad Gaffield, also a past president of the Royal Society, said Mr. Gilmour has done a “spectacular job” and developed into a top leader.
Among the many initiatives during his tenure, Mr. Gilmour created a college of new scholars, which brought young, leading intellectuals into the society early in their career, broadening the organization’s membership and influence. He also published a report, Royally Wronged, on the Royal Society and Indigenous Peoples, and established a permanent home for the society by acquiring and renovating Walter House in Ottawa.
The Royal Society is a national body of distinguished scholars that promotes learning and research. Prof. Gagnon likened it to a Hall of Fame for academics, which also convenes top scholars from across disciplines and institutions to address major societal challenges.
The society has three academies – arts and humanities, social science and science – and administers more than 20 awards recognizing outstanding achievement.
It is a registered charity and is funded by membership dues and donations from private and corporate entities.
The Globe and Mail has partnered with the Royal Society and its experts, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sharon Straus, a professor of geriatric medicine at the University of Toronto, said Mr. Gilmour has galvanized groups of people to tackle important issues, including setting up a task force that produced dozens of peer-reviewed reports during the pandemic. More than 750 experts worked on policy briefings and other reports.
“He will be hugely missed,” Dr. Straus said.
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Mr. Gilmour had been focusing on raising money over the past year, Dr. Straus said.
“He definitely was prioritizing fundraising. My understanding was that he was successful in it,” she said.
The society has a deep heritage that reaches back to the early years of Confederation. Its first meeting was held in 1882, and its royal charter was granted one year later.
Like the Royal Society in Britain and the National Academies in the United States, the Canadian body was always intended to be more than a club for academic high achievers. With members that include scientists, artists and scholars across academic disciplines, the organization has sought to play a role as a public resource, where independent expert knowledge can be brought to bear on issues of public interest and concern.
John Smol, a Queen’s University professor of ecology and a long-time member who currently serves on the society’s international committee, said the organization plays a key role representing Canada and helping to reinforce the role of science and scholarship in democratic societies around the world.
He cited the series of reports on the global pandemic as an example of its efforts to promote evidence-based decision-making.
But there’s no question, Prof. Smol said, that the society’s British and American counterparts are vastly better resourced and consequently more visible in their countries.
Prof. Baylis, the society’s president and a distinguished research professor emerita of bioethics at Dalhousie University, said succession planning is under way and the society will assess its needs before advertising for a new executive director.