Alumna of the Medieval Institute, Prof. Rachel Koopmans, Elected to the Royal Society of Canada

Stained glass window of St. Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral.

Rachel Koopmans, Associate Professor of History at the University of York in Toronto and a doctoral graduate of the Medieval Institute (2001), has been recently elected a member of the Royal Society of Canada's College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. Of this accomplishment York University writes, "In her wide-ranging explorations of medieval religious culture, Rachel Koopmans has made major contributions to the fields of history, literature, manuscript studies, and art history. Author of the influential and award-winning Wonderful to Relate: Miracle Stories and Miracle Collecting in High Medieval England (2011), she has now extended her reach into the specialist area of medieval stained glass, and is engaged in a revolutionary study of the famous “miracle windows” at Canterbury Cathedral devoted to Thomas Becket." Read York University's full press release.

Photo credit: Holly Hayes, www.sacred-destinations.com.