Nipissing University professor Dr. Patrick Maher has received one of the highest research honours in experiential education, earning the 2026 Dr. Betty van der Smissen Distinguished Researcher Award from the Association for Experiential Education (AEE) in recognition of his sustained contributions to research, scholarship, and leadership in the field.
The award recognizes researchers whose sustained body of work has made significant contributions to fields where experiential education principles are applied, while also advancing the visibility and impact of research within the broader community. Established in 2010 and renamed in 2022 in honour of pioneering outdoor education researcher Dr. Betty van der Smissen, the award celebrates the enduring role of research in shaping experiential education theory and practice.
For more than three decades, Maher has contributed to the advancement of outdoor and experiential education as a practitioner, educator, researcher, editor, and mentor. His work has influenced the field both in Canada and internationally, helping shape research, practice, and future generations of scholars and educators.
“Receiving the Dr. Betty van der Smissen Distinguished Researcher Award is an absolute honour. It’s significant that the AEE celebrates research insights to experiential education, at a global scale,” shared Maher. “This award also represents a full circle moment for me personally. As an undergraduate student, I first attended an AEE conference nearly 30 years ago. Back then I was front-line instructor in the field, but I saw value in the research I was reading in class. Perhaps I’m now that researcher, inspiring the next generation of educators.”
Maher’s research has crossed disciplinary and geographic boundaries. His scholarship spans outdoor and experiential education, tourism, sustainability, polar studies, community engagement, and teaching and learning. Maher’s publication record includes more than 80 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, numerous other research and knowledge-mobilization contributions, and five edited academic books.
His recent work includes the 2025 Routledge Handbook on Mobile Technology, Social Media and the Outdoors, co-edited with Simon K. Beames, as well as research addressing the future of outdoor learning, adventure education, Arctic tourism, sustainability, and the relationship between technology and outdoor experiences.
Beyond his own research, Maher has made an especially significant contribution through editorial leadership. He served as lead editor of the Journal of Experiential Education from 2010 to 2016 and helped guide its transition from an in-house publication to its current publishing arrangement with SAGE. He subsequently served as co-editor of the Canadian Journal of Environmental Education and, since 2023, has served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning. He also continues to serve on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Experiential Education.
Maher will be presented with the Dr. Betty van der Smissen Distinguished Researcher Award during AEE’s 54th Annual International Experiential Education Conference, ASCEND: Growing Community, Elevating Practice, taking place November 12–14, 2026, at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado.
For more information about the Betty van der Smissen Distinguished Researcher Award and the Association for Experiential Education, please visit www.aee.org.
