LA&PS celebrates two profs renewed as Canada Research Chairs��

The Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies is proud to celebrate two researchers who are set to receive federal support through their renewed Canada Research Chairs (CRC) appointments.��This investment will enable essential research on history, human behaviour, digital��technologies��and critical infrastructure, advancing efforts to improve well-being,��equity��and resilience across Canada.��

The LA&PS recipients are:��

• Alan Corbiere – Assistant professor, Department of History,��Canada Research Chair in Indigenous History of North America (Tier 2, renewal)��
• Jennifer Pybus – Associate professor, Department of Politics, Canada Research Chair in Data, Empowerment and Artificial Intelligence (Tier 2, renewal)��

Read the full��YFile��story.����

LA&PS students honoured at the 2026 Robert J. Tiffin Student Leadership Awards 

On Wednesday, May 6, 91��ɫ students were celebrated as recipients of the 2026 Robert J. Tiffin Student Leadership Award. The award honours Robert J. Tiffin, who served as 91��ɫ’s vice-president, students, for nine years. It recognizes individuals nominated by members of the university community who demonstrate outstanding leadership and make meaningful contributions to 91��ɫ. 

Recipients from the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) include: 

• Isabella Gouveia, bachelor of arts (specialized honours) in history and concurrent education 

• Dipanpreet Kaur, bachelor of arts (honours) in English and professional writing 

• Rubaljeet Kaur, bachelor of commerce (specialized honours) in accounting 

Read more about this year’s award winners in YFile. 

LA&PS professors honoured at this year’s President’s Research Awards��

On Wednesday, May 6, 15 members of the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) were recognized for their research excellence and transformative impact across multiple categories at 91��ɫ’s President’s Research Awards. The annual awards program celebrates the creativity and outstanding research contributions of 91��ɫ’s faculty members. 

The LA&PS recipients are: 

Book Awards, Literary and Artistic Achievements 
Desiree de Jesus – Exhibition on Black Girlhood in Canada, Toronto International Film Festival 

Major Grants 
Ann Kim – Project grant, Academy of Korean Studies, Strategic Research Institute Program 

Other Learned Societies, Fellowships and Awards 
Jimmy Huang – Fellowship, The institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 
Christina Sharpe – Killam Prize, National Research Council of Canada 

Outstanding Early Career Awards 
Eric Kennedy – Ontario Early Researcher Award, Government of Ontario 

President’s Research Excellence Award (PREA) 
Jimmy Huang - President’s Research Excellence Award 

Significant Knowledge Mobilization & Impact Awards 
Pat Armstrong - King Charles III Coronation Medal 
Peter Constantinou - King Charles III Coronation Medal 
Sheila Embleton - King Charles III Coronation Medal 
Natasha Henry-Dixon - King Charles III Coronation Medal 
Akolisa Ufodike - King Charles III Coronation Medal 

President’s Research Impact Award (PRIA) 
Kerry Kawakami – President’s Research Impact Award 

YRCs and CRCs and Distinguished Research Professors 
Aimi Hamraie – Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Technology, Society and Disability 
Ian Stedman – Tier 2 91��ɫ Research Chair in Law, Policy and Personalized Healthcare 
Ola Mohammed – Tier 2 Research Chair in Black Sonic Cultures 

Explore the full list of this year’s President’s Research Award recipients from across 91��ɫ. 

History student Mia Soccio has turned her passion for both hockey and historical storytelling into award-recognized work. During her placement at the Hockey Hall of Fame, she helped design interactive digital experiences – from app-based games to themed museum tours – that bring key moments in the sport’s past to life. Her contributions played a central role in shaping a new mobile museum experience aimed at transforming how visitors interact with hockey heritage.

Mia’s work also extended behind the scenes, where she applied her training in public history to review and strengthen the historical accuracy of exhibitions, including correcting a long-standing inconsistency in records from the 1886 Kingston hockey league. Her achievements earned her an Honourable Mention in the 2025 Work-Integrated learning Student of the Year competition, and she will share her insights this summer at the Canadian Historical Association Conference.  

Read her full story on the .��

On Friday, Feb. 13, the Department of History partnered with the Archives of Ontario to host an inspirational workshop for 35 Toronto District School Board teachers. The event brought educators to campus to learn about and reflect on the new Black Canadian history curriculum expectations being introduced into Ontario’s elementary and high school history programs.  

The workshop was led by Professor Natasha Henry-Dixon, who has played an instrumental role in supporting the teaching of Black Canadian history in the public school system and ensuring that Black history is thoroughly and carefully integrated into the province’s curriculum.   

Dr. Henry-Dixon opened the session by noting two major milestones being marked this February: 100 years since Black history began to be commemorated annually in February in both the United States and Canada, and 30 years since Black History Month was recognized federally in Canada.  She then walked participants through relevant curricular topics in grades 10 and 12 Canadian history courses, provided an overview of the diversity of the Black communities in the 20th-century and highlighted pedagogical concerns for teaching the pending mandated expectations.  

The morning concluded with a hands-on exercise using primary sources from the Archives of Ontario. Teachers were also introduced to the archive’s new exhibit curated by Henry-Dixon, Illuminate Black: Shining Light on the Black Presence in Ontario (February 2026 – March 2028). 

After lunch, provided by the Avie Bennett Historica Chair in Canadian History, Professor Damilola Adebayo led a discussion on how Black history is currently factored into the global history curriculum at the high school level. Drawing on extensive teaching and research experience across Africa, Europe and North America, Dr. Adebayo emphasized the ongoing underrepresentation of global Black histories in existing teaching materials. Teachers expressed a strong interest in expanding their curriculum and discussed the need for a comprehensive global Black history textbook tailored to Ontario’s K–12 system. The discussion renewed interest in teaching Black history beyond the Canadian context, prompting teachers to crowdsource ideas and exchange practical resources for their classrooms.  

The workshop also allowed the department to welcome high school history teachers to campus while highlighting the Black Canadian Studies certificate.   

The event served as a meaningful celebration of Black History Month and strengthened 91��ɫ’s relationships with public school educators who prepare our students to join us for their university journey. We also appreciate the tremendous collaboration fostered with the Archives of Ontario. 

The Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) is proud to celebrate��Cynthia Appiah��one of our exceptional��alumnae��from our��History��department.��Cynthia Appiah��competed for Team Canada in bobsleigh at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.��Representing��the��world stage is an extraordinary achievement, and we are thrilled to recognize her hard work, athletic��excellence��and dedication.��

Her success reflects the determination and drive that define our LA&PS community. Join us in congratulating her on this remarkable accomplishment. Learn more about her path to the 2026 Olympics in . 

Isabella DiGravino, a student in the Department of Visual Art and Art History in the School of Arts, Media, Performance & Design at 91��ɫ, has created a photo exhibition inspired by her experiences during a study abroad course in Athens. This past summer, she completed Greece: A Modern History, a course offered through the Department of History at the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS). She is also taking additional history courses through LA&PS as part of her teachable subject, complementing her studies in visual art and art history.

Her exhibition, titled Synginisi, evokes relatable subjects, from the overwhelming feeling of finding your place in the world, to a calm, relaxing scene to call your second home. DiGravino says her show is dedicated to the people who encourage her to explore and research the art of different cultures and societies, and to find new things that fill her cup. Synginisi, or synkinisi, is a Greek word chosen to describe the essence of the exhibition, which she describes as meaning "to be moved by something that brightens life whilst contrasting the darkness of the mind."

DiGravino is in her final year studying art history at 91��ɫ, with a growing interest in realist, impressionist, modern and contemporary art around the world. She writes on diasporic artistic cultures, favouring Greece and its neighbouring countries.

Learn more about studying abroad with LA&PS.��

Willam Jenkins, professor in the Department of History, has edited a new book exploring the wave of Irish immigration to Canada during the Great Famine. The book, , highlights the experiences of tens of thousands of resilient Irish refugees who resettled in Canada and their contributions to the country’s development.

“This volume has been several years in the making. My hope is that it honours the memory of the Irish men, women and children who came to Canada under harrowing circumstances in the late 1840s – many of whom did not survive long enough to build new lives here,” said Jenkins. “I also hope it also does justice to those in Canada who worked to alleviate and manage the distress they witnessed in communities from Quebec City to the Niagara Peninsula once the immigration of 1847 was underway. This includes remembering the frontline workers, clergy and public officials who lost their lives in the process.”

The book has received several positive reviews. Kevin James, professor of history and Scottish Studies Foundation Chair (endowed chair) from the University of Guelph said, “Canada and the Great Irish Famine provides a rich and long-overdue reassessment, offering yardsticks with which to measure the Atlantic Canadian and Western experiences.”

Jenkins received his PhD from the University of Toronto. He is a social and economic historian whose primary research interest lies in the immigration of Irish men, women and children to Canada and the United States between 1815 and 1914. His other research interests include Irish history in the 19th and 20th centuries, urban history, historical geography, global and transnational history.

A book launch, which will include a talk and signing, will take place on Thursday, Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. at the Charbonnel Lounge, St Michael's College, University of Toronto.

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Ten 91��ɫ professors have received $700,000 in funding from the Academy of Korean Studies, an agency of the South Korean Ministry of Education, with eight recipients based in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS). The funding will support Korea in the World: Connecting Korea and Korean Diasporic Legacies, a new project which will focus on Korea and the Korean diaspora.

Leading the project is Associate Professor��Ann Kim��(Department of Sociology, LA&PS), alongside Associate Professor��Laam Hae��(Department of Politics, LA&PS), Associate Professor��Theresa Hyun��(Department of Humanities, LA&PS), Associate Professor��Mihyon Jeon��(Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics, LA&PS), Associate Professor��Hong Kal��(Department of Visual Art and Art History, ), Associate Professor��Janice Kim��(Department of History, LA&PS), Professor��Thomas Klassen��(School of Public Policy & Administration, LA&PS), Associate Professor��Ahrong Lee��(Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics, LA&PS), Professor��Regina Lee��(Department of Earth and Space Science and Engineering, ) and Professor��Hyun Ok Park��(Department of Sociology, LA&PS).

Read the full article in YFile.

A total of nine researchers at 91��ɫ, including four from the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS), received over $223,000 in funding through the Black Research Seed Fund. The fund supports Black scholars focusing on Black experiences and on projects that challenge systemic barriers while redefining knowledge creation.

The four LA&PS recipients are:

Damilola Adebayo,��assistant professor, Department of History
Taming the Niger River: The Kainji Dam and Socioeconomic Development in Twentieth-Century West Africa

Desirée de Jesus, assistant professor, Department of Communication & Media Studies From Archive to Imagination: Building Canada’s Future with Black Histories

Ola Mohammed, assistant professor, Department of Humanities
From the Margins to the Major: The Insurgent Archive of Black Studies at 91��ɫ

Salewa Olawoye, associate professor, Department of Social Science
Money Demystified: An Inclusive Monetary Theory

Congratulations to the recipients on their success.

Read the full story in YFile.