The Liberia Academy of Sciences (LAS) has announced the election of two distinguished international scholars — Professor Austin Mardon of Canada and Professor Kemal Yildirim of Turkey — to its Fellowship, the highest honor conferred by the Academy. Their induction takes effect on January 1, 2026, following a resolution passed at LAS’s Annual General Meeting.

In an October 3, 2025 letter addressed to Professor Mardon, LAS President Emmanuel Fred wrote that his election “is a direct and resounding recognition of your distinguished and continuing contributions to the advancement of scientific knowledge and the development of the sciences in general.” The letter further noted his “pioneering research and contribution to Mental Health, Health and Disability Contribution, University and teaching connections, Authorship, Writing, and Research Projects,” which have had a “profound and lasting impact on the global scientific community.”

Professor Mardon, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, serves as Associate Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and the John Dossetor Health Ethics Centre at the University of Alberta, Assistant Adjunct Professor in Neuroscience at the University of Lethbridge, and Special Advisor at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital in Edmonton.

A parallel letter to Professor Yildirim, a noted scholar based in Istanbul, lauded his “distinguished and continued contributions to the advancement of scientific innovation, groundbreaking research, and knowledge in the development of the sciences in general.” LAS also cited his “pioneering research and contribution to science, politics, geopolitics, human rights, diplomacy, and other related scholarships,” describing his work as having “a profound and lasting impact on the global scientific community.”

“The Fellowship of the Liberia Academy of Sciences is the highest accolade we can bestow,” both letters emphasized. “Our Fellows are elected through a rigorous, peer-nominated process, and they represent the most exceptional scientists of their generation.”

According to the Academy, the new Fellows will join a global network of scientists “dedicated to the promotion of science for the public good,” and will be expected to contribute through “studies, committees, and public outreach initiatives.” Certificates commemorating their Fellowships will be presented at a formal ceremony—either in Monrovia or online—with details to follow.

In a statement accompanying the announcement, President Fred said the Academy is eager to strengthen cooperation between Liberia and the international scientific community.

“We are looking forward to working with the Liberian Government,” Fred said. “We would love our representative in Liberia, Bishop Dr. Ishmael L. Togbah, National Bishop of the Worldwide Anglican Church in Liberia, to kindly meet with the President of Liberia, in order to connect and arrange our invitation of the President of Liberia to Canada and in order for us to establish a bilateral relationship between Liberia and Canada and Turkey.”

The Liberia Academy of Sciences, which serves as a national think tank for scientific advancement and policy, said it views the induction of Professors Mardon and Yildirim as a step toward expanding Liberia’s footprint in global research collaborations. Further details of the Fellowship ceremony will be released in the coming months.