excellence Archives | Research & Innovation

Ten emerging and established researchers appointed 91��ɫ Research Chairs

muellerm — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 10:00:00 +0000

Ten emerging and established researchers from across the University have been appointed 91��ɫ Research Chairs. The appointments are the first in a new program established to build, support and intensify the world-renowned research under way at the University.

“I am delighted to announce the appointment of our 10 new 91��ɫ Research Chairs and congratulate them on this important achievement,” said Robert Haché, 91��ɫ’s vice-president research and innovation. “91��ɫ Research Chairs are recognized for their leadership in scholarship, research and creative activities. These appointments span the wide spectrum of our comprehensive research strengths and reflect the world-class calibre of research taking place across the University.”

Tier I Chairs

Isabella Bakker, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS), received a Tier 1 91��ɫ Research Chair in Global Economic Governance, Gender and Human Rights. Bakker’s research places a critical lens on global economic policy and governance practices. She is also examining reproductive healthcare, education, and welfare policies, in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis with the central aim of supporting the development of progressive, human-centred economic theories and policies.

Christopher Innes, Department of English, LA&PS, was awarded a Tier 1 91��ɫ Research Chair in Performance and Culture to advance new research on the historical and contemporary aspects of cultural expression within carnival and street theatre. The award will also support Innes’ research on Bertolt Brecht, cabaret and popular art, as well as the populist basis of Avant-Garde Theatre.

Roger Keil, Faculty of Environmental Studies, was awarded a Tier 1 91��ɫ Research Chair in Global Sub/Urban Studies in recognition of his research contributions to the field of urban and environmental research. Keil’s research examines suburbanization, which is now a global phenomenon and a defining feature of the “urban century” we have just entered. His work will add to a greater understanding of our suburban futures, as new forms of work, housing, mobility and governance, as well as how human/non-human nature relationships take shape.

Sergey Krylov, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, was awarded an inaugural Tier 1 91��ɫ Research Chair in Bioanalytical Chemistry. The appointment supports the development of new technologies for understanding, diagnosing and treating cancer.�� As the director of the Centre for Research on Biomolecular Chemistry, Krylov’s lab will work collaboratively with hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and instrumentation companies on the development of personalized approaches to cancer medicine.

Obiora Okafor, Osgoode Hall Law School, is the inaugural Tier 1 91��ɫ Research Chair in International and Transnational Legal Studies. Building on an ongoing research project about Canadian/Nigerian cooperation on human rights (including in the sub-areas of economic and social rights, judicial strengthening, institution building, democratization and poverty alleviation), and other research projects, the award supports the expansion of Okafor’s research to include a focus on the study of Canadian human rights cooperation initiatives with all of the countries in Anglophone West Africa.

Tier II Chairs

Mike Daly, Department of Earth and Space Science and Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering, was awarded a Tier 2 91��ɫ Research Chair in Planetary Science in recognition of his outstanding contribution to space-flight instrumentation research at 91��ɫ. The 91��ɫ Research Chair will enable Daly’s participation in NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission to the near-Earth asteroid Bennu and the return of Canada’s first sample of material from another solar system.

Jane Heffernan, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Science, is an inaugural Tier 2 91��ɫ Research Chair in Multi-Scale Quantitative Methods for Evidence-Based Health Policy. ��Heffernan’s research responds to the pressing need for new statistical, mathematical, and computational methods of mapping, understanding and controlling infectious diseases and aims to influence the development of new evidence-based public health policies. Heffernan is also the director of the Centre for Disease Modelling, and is involved in global health initiatives.

Anna Hudson, Department of Visual Arts and Art History, School of Arts, Media, Performance and Design, is the new Tier 2 91��ɫ Research Chair in Inuit Cultural Mobilization, which will advance research into Inuit cultural globalization by exploring contemporary fusions of Indigenous storytelling with hip-hop, performance, game design, and videography. Supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Partnership Grant, the Chair will promote the development of a more equitable information and communication technology infrastructure and greater participation by Inuvialuit, Nunavut, Nunavik, and Nunatsiavut artists in global cultural dialogue, exchange, and digital preservation of Inuit art and cultural heritage.

Fuyuki Kurasawa, Department of Sociology, LA&PS, is an inaugural Tier 2 91��ɫ Research Chair in Global Digital Citizenship. His research will examine how the rise of digital culture is enabling laypeople and experts to collaborate in tackling some of the world’s most pressing problems. Furasawa will also examine how new technologies are reshaping practices of creation, evaluation, and dissemination of knowledge about such global problems.

Rebecca Pillai Riddell, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health, was awarded a Tier 2 91��ɫ Research Chair in Pain and Mental Health to support her research on linking early childhood mental health challenges with behaviours seen when children calm down from painful immunizations. The appointment will enable Pillai Riddell to translate her research findings into a community-based screening and intervention program that will integrate early childhood mental health into routine medical care.

More about the 91��ɫ Research Chair program

The 91��ɫ Research Chairs program is envisioned as an internal twin for the national Canada Research Chairs (CRC) program. The level of support and recognition provided to 91��ɫ Research Chairs is expected to be aligned with supports and recognition provided through the CRC program.

91��ɫ Research Chairs are available at two levels analogous to CRC chairs. Tier I 91��ɫ Research Chairs are open to established research leaders at the rank of Full Professor. Tier II 91��ɫ Research Chairs are aimed at emerging research leaders within 15 years of their first academic appointment at the rank of Associate or Assistant Professor. Both have five-year terms that are renewable in the context of open-competition based on peer review and the continuing availability of resources.

For more information, please contact Ryan McCarthy, director of institutional and research services, at ext. 22507.

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Gala will celebrate 91��ɫ researchers

muellerm — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 10:00:00 +0000

The groundbreaking research, thought leadership and scholarship of 91��ɫ researchers will be celebrated Wednesday, Feb. 27 during a gala event.

Hosted by 91��ɫ’s President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri and Vice-President Research & Innovation Robert Haché, the gala pays tribute to the University’s 2012-2013 research leaders. The recipient of the President’s Research Excellence Award will be announced at the gala.

Robert Haché

“91��ɫ is proud to celebrate and recognize the achievements of many of our leading faculty and student researchers,” said Shoukri. “Our researchers are helping us understand what is happening around the globe, while responding to the most pressing challenges facing Canada and the world.”

“Each honouree has demonstrated their dedication to excellence in research and scholarship in their own unique way,” said Haché. “The gala provides an opportunity to recognize the breadth of accomplishments by 91��ɫ researchers over the past year and particularly those who have received top honours and accolades from external agencies, nationally and internationally.”

Mamdouh Shoukri

Festivities begin at 2pm and will continue until 5pm in 1005 Osgoode Hall Law School (Moot Court). The event features a keynote speech by Jim Stanford, an economist with the Canadian Auto Workers, Canada’s largest private sector trade union. Stanford is the author of Economics for Everyone (2008). He is a frequent contributor to CBC Television’s “The National” appearing on the program’s The Bottom Line panel, and a columnist for The Globe and Mail newspaper.

The event will be a celebration of a wide spectrum of researchers across the University, including faculty and students. Among the many researchers to be honoured are, Professors Carl James and Norman Yan,��were inducted into the Royal Society of Canada as Fellows; Trudeau Fellow Janine Marchessault; Faculty of Health Dean Harvey Skinner; and Early Researcher Award recipients Natasha Myers and Thilo Womelsdorf.

All 91��ɫ students, staff and faculty are invited to attend. to RSVP for the event.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin to research stories on the research website.

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VPRI announces members of the Strategic Research Plan Advisory Committee

muellerm — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Robert Haché, 91��ɫ’s vice-president research & innovation (VPRI), has announced the members of the Strategic Research Plan (SRP) Advisory Committee.�� The committee, chaired by Haché, is comprised of individuals from the University and community who will advise the VPRI throughout the strategic research plan consultation process in the development of a new Strategic Research Plan for 2013-2018.

Robert Haché

“I am pleased to announce the members of the Strategic Research Plan Advisory Committee,” said Haché.�� “I am looking forward to working together with the members of the committee and the University community to develop a new strategic research plan that articulates our values and vision for 91��ɫ research and provides direction for accelerating strategic research planning initiatives across the University over the next several years.” ��

The committee has a mandate to��advise the VPRI on all aspects of the consultation with the 91��ɫ Community and in the development of the plan, which will articulate a vision and aspiration for 91��ɫ research over the next five years. The goal is to provide the community with a draft reflecting the discussion near the end of 2012, with��a final version going to the Senate of 91��ɫ for approval in spring 2013.

The Strategic Advisory Plan Advisory Committee planning and consultation process is being facilitated by Gary Miller, Instructor in the MBA Program at the Schulich School of Business, as well as at the Schulich Executive Education Centre��and Celia Haig-Brown, Professor, Faculty of Education.

The advisory committee members include:

Robert Haché, vice-president research & innovation, Chair of the SRP Advisory Committee
Walter Tholen, associate vice-president research, vice-Chair of the SRP Advisory Committee
Celia Haig-Brown, professor, Faculty of Education and Strategic Research facilitator of the SRP Advisory Committee.��
Thaddeus Hwong,��professor, cross-appointed to the School of Administrative Studies and School of Public Policy��& Administration.��
Mark Lievonen, Member of 91��ɫ's Board of Governors and president of Sanofi Pasteur Ltd.
Doug Lindeblom, director of Economic Strategy��& Tourism, Regional Municipality of 91��ɫ
Rhonda Lenton, vice-provost
Janine Marchessault,��professor, Department of Film, Faculty of Fine Arts, and Canada Research Chair in Art, Digital Media & Globalization
David Mutimer,��professor, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS), director of 91��ɫ Centre for International & Security Studies and Chair, Academic Policy, Planning and Research Committee
Laurie Wilcox,��professor of psychology and biology, member of 91��ɫ’s Centre for Vision Research
Danielle Zanotti, CEO, United Way of 91��ɫ Region, external member
Joanna Pearce, PhD candidate, Department of History, LA&PS
Martin Singer, dean, LA&PS
Joan Steigerwald, professor, Department of Humanities, and the graduate programs in Science & Technology Studies,��Humanities and Social��& Political Thought. ��
Jim Whiteway, Canada Research Chair in Space Engineering��& Atmospheric Science and��professor of Space Engineering in the Faculty of Science & Engineering.��
Georg Zoidl, professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Department of Biology, Faculty of Science��& Engineering and Canada Research Chair in Molecular��& Cellular Neuroscience.
A member from Glendon College is still being sought

Haché, in collaboration with the Strategic Research Plan��Advisory Committee, invites all members of the��University community to be an engaged part of a comprehensive consultation process that will help 91��ɫ continue to move forward in research excellence and scholarship.

To share your thoughts on the Strategic Research Plan consultation process, click .

To view committee member’s biographies,��.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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From prof to publisher of award-winning public policy book

fmaquito — Fri, 11 May 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Osgoode Hall Law School Professor Paul Emond wears many hats, but it’s his publishing business that has grabbed the limelight recently.

On May 1, it was announced that by Peter Aucoin, Mark Jarvis and Lori Turnbull, and published by Emond Montgomery Publications, had won the $50,000 for the best public policy book in 2011��by a Canadian.

Paul Emond

Emond, who is the director of Osgoode’s Professional Master of Laws��in Alternative Dispute Resolution Program, founded Emond Montgomery Publications Limited in 1978 with Ann Montgomery and developed it into one of Canada’s top academic publishers.

What started with Emond’s idea to build better teaching materials for Canadian law students, “led to a company that has not only become a leading a voice in Canadian academic and school publishing, but a strong voice in stimulating public policy debate in Canada,”��he said in an e-mail message.

The winner of the Donner Prize was chosen from an impressive list of 58 submissions and a shortlist of four by the distinguished five-member jury comprised of: ��A. Anne McLellan, former MP and distinguished scholar in residence to the at the Institute for United States Policy Studies��(Jury Chair); Wendy Dobson, professor at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and director of the Institute for International Business; Kevin��Lynch, Canadian economist and former clerk of the Privy Council and secretary to the Cabinet, who is now chair of BMO Financial Group; Marcel Boyer, Bell Canada Professor of industrial economics at the University��of Montreal;��and Denis Stairs, professor emeritus in political science and a Faculty Fellow of the Centre of Foreign Policy Studies at Dalhousie University.

The Donner Prize jury described Democratizing the Constitution as "an important and timely book -- one that calls into question the legitimacy of our most fundamental institutions of democracy."�� Aucoin, who��died last July, was professor emeritus of political science and public administration at Dalhousie University.��Mark��Jarvis��is a doctoral candidate at the University of Victoria, and Lori Turnbull��is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at Dalhousie University.

The Donner Prize, established in 1998, annually rewards excellence and innovation in Canadian public policy thinking, writing and research in Canada. In bestowing this award, the Donner Canadian Foundation seeks to broaden policy debates, increase general awareness of the importance of policy decision making and make an original and meaningful contribution to policy discourse.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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VPRI seeks input from researchers on new strategic research plan

fmaquito — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 08:00:00 +0000

The Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation (VPRI) is launching a consultation process to seek input from the 91��ɫ research community on the development of a new strategic research plan��for 2013-2018.�� The launch of the consultation process was announced in Senate on Thursday.

VPRI will be advised in the consultation process by a Strategic Research Plan��Advisory Committee comprised of individuals from the University and community, whose membership will be announced shortly.��The goal is to engage the community in a discussion of��goals and values to provide shape to��a��strategic research plan��that will set the vision for the continuing development of research at 91��ɫ for the next several years. The expectation is to provide the community with a draft of the plan before the end of 2012, with��a final version going to Senate for approval in spring 2013.

“The establishment of a new strategic research plan will help to advance research intensification broadly at 91��ɫ and identify areas of opportunity for growth and development,” said��Robert Haché (left), vice-president research & innovation. “The plan will help to foster the support of research excellence across the University while providing a strategic framework for driving our research reputation forward in areas of opportunity.”

In order to create a document with the broadest possible support, VPRI��is inviting��all members of the 91��ɫ community to contribute to the development of the strategic research plan by sharing their points of view throughout the consultation and development process.�� The��University community is invited to participate in workshops, focus groups, town hall meetings and other events being organized or through��an online form that is available .

Through an extensive process of broadly-based consultations, VPRI will arrive at a plan that sets well-defined goals within an aspirational vision that is strongly supported by the University academic community, as represented by Senate.

The goals of the strategic research plan��consultation process are:

To engage in a collaborative, University-building exercise that articulates a clear valuation and appreciation of research at 91��ɫ��and its integration into all aspects of the��fabric of the University;
��
To build a strong, broadly accepted aspirational vision��for��the development of research based on a comprehensive consultation process with the University community and external stakeholders;
��
To appropriately identify and articulate areas of opportunity in the strategic development of research across the institution.

Haché, in collaboration with the Strategic Research Plan��Advisory Committee, invites all members of the��community to be an engaged part of a comprehensive consultation process that will help 91��ɫ continue to move forward in research excellence and scholarship.

For more information,��click .

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Lively dance program will put some spring in your step

fmaquito — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 08:00:00 +0000

��The students of the��91��ɫ Dance Ensemble (YDE) have a spring in their step as they perform their��year-end concert, Tangled Dances, in the Sandra Faire and Ivan Fecan Theatre.

The lively young repertory company of the Department of Dance��is presenting��an engaging collection of contemporary choreography by established and rising dance artists. The show, which opened Thursday,��runs Friday, March 23,��and��Saturday, March 24,��at 7:30pm.

Dancers, Anastasia Feigin and�� Nikolaos Markakis in 'Tangled Rags'. Photograph by David Hou

“I feel the members of the 91��ɫ Dance Ensemble are among the hardest-working people at this University,” said YDE’s artistic and managing director, Professor Holly Small.�� “With occasional blood, plenty of sweat and not a few tears, the ensemble has achieved a level of excellence of which 91��ɫ can rightly be proud.”

The program opens with Suddenly Everyone…, ��a piece that ranges from��highly structured to completely free improvisation. It was created collaboratively, with the YDE providing the movement and music, and Small contributing structure and direction.

Set to a mix of music from the films Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz and Mary Poppins, 91��ɫ dance Professor Darcey Callison’s Down The Road takes inspiration and physicality from the rabbit holes and yellow brick roads encountered in��life.

Short Ride in a Fast Machine is a surprising, demanding trio choreographed and performed by YDE members Yvon Allard, Miles Gosse and Nikolaos Markakis.

Undergraduate student Anne Goad’s It’s Just What You Do is a duet about true love, inspired by the choreographer’s grandparents and their 69 years of marriage.

Shae Zukiwsky, a PhD candidate in dance, joins the YDE in the performance of his new piece for large ensemble, Resistance. Through the work, he explores the concept of being an outsider and how he could move from within that – seeing as he can’t seem to move from it.

91��ɫ dance student Tracy Day in Small's 'Tangled Dances'

The program culminates with Small’s Tangled Rags, a suite of three tender, soulful dances that the choreographer has dedicated to her father. The work is set to Three Rags, a composition by the late Canadian composer James Tenney, who taught in 91��ɫ’s music department, in a recording by pianist and 91��ɫ music professor Casey Sokol.

Tickets for the YDE show are $20 each, or $10 for students and seniors. Tickets are��available by calling 416-736-5888, visiting the Fine Arts Box Office, or at the door.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Graduate Studies honours two professors for excellence in teaching

fmaquito — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 10:00:00 +0000

On Thursday, March 1, the Faculty of Graduate Studies honoured Professors Joel Katz and Paul Lovejoy for their excellence in graduate teaching and mentoring at 91��ɫ.

The two professors were each presented with a Faculty of Graduate Studies Teaching Award at the the meeting of the Faculty of Graduate Studies Council. In introducing the awardees, Associate Dean Academic Affairs Thomas Loebel said the professors’ students wrote of them “with an appreciation – and affection – otherwise reserved for family.”

From left, Patrick Monahan, VP academic & provost; Allan Hutchinson, dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies; and Professor Joel Katz

Joel Katz, teaches in the Faculties of Health and Graduate Studies. A Canada Research Chair in Health Psychology and affiliated with Toronto General Hospital, he sports a book-length CV of awards, boards, invited lectures and publications in the fields of psychology, anesthesiology and pain management.

In his introduction, Loebel said that Katz’s students were grateful for the his level of care, patience, kindness and enthusiasm. He displays “care for how they think, research, represent themselves and 91��ɫ, and how they interact– care from the macro to the micro levels, in theory and in practice,” said Loebel.

In their letters of assessment and recommendation, Loebel said that students noted repeatedly that learning from Katz’s published findings made them realize that if they wanted to develop their minds and their approaches to their career fields, and if they wanted to participate truly and significantly in the solution of health problems, then they needed to come study with him.

“When I was informed by my students that they wanted to nominate me, I felt I had already gotten the award” said Katz. Though he has received a number of awards, this one, he says, “is by far the most meaningful. I have students who make it easy and enjoyable for me��to do my job.”

Paul Lovejoy, a distinguished research professor and an internationally renowned expert on the African diaspora, teaches in the Faculties of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies and Graduate Studies. Among his accomplishments and credits, he is a Fellow of the Royal Society, Canada Research Chair in African Diaspora History and director of the Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on the Global Migrations of African Peoples.

Patrick Monahan congratulates Professor Paul Lovejoy shortly after being presented with the Faculty of Graduate Studies Teaching Award by Allan Hutchinson

A pioneer in the digital humanities, Lovejoy’s work has global significance because it opens access to rare documents and creates online-networked communities. The nomination submissions highlighted how Lovejoy integrates his students in ways that allow them to build skills for their own work. Loebel said that his students expressed great gratitude for his open-access approach to his personal library of volumes and documents that are simply not available elsewhere.

His students repeatedly commented that Lovejoy teaches them to network by example, not only as a career development tool, but more importantly, said Loebel, “as part of the process of learning and discovery, to make community by vibrant communication.”

“It’s the highest honour a professor can receive, based on the ability to share new knowledge and inspire students to achieve their potential,” said Lovejoy, who sees the award as a highlight in his career. “Of the many awards and honours I have been blessed with,” he said, “this one is special – the best.”

Before presenting the awards, Allan Hutchinson, dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, said that Katz and Lovejoy were recognized by both peers and students. They are “raising the bar with the extent of their commitment to their students." Most remarkably, he said, “their graduate students described these professors as genuinely caring and as active participants in their development as students, as scholars and as individuals.”

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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VPRI seeks feedback from 91��ɫ's research community

fmaquito — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Robert Haché, vice-president research & innovation, is seeking feedback from the 91��ɫ research community.

In particular, he is interested in feedback on the document: "General Evaluative Criteria for Large-Scale Strategic Research Projects and Projects with Institutional Caps".

“91��ɫ is committed to growing the depth and breadth of its research mandate in order to gain recognition as a leading research-intensive institution,” said Haché. “We recognize the need to further develop transparent criteria to prioritize larger-scale strategic research initiatives and the resources required.”

Right: Robert Haché, vice-president research & innovation

The Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation (VPRI), in collaboration with the Faculties and the University’s Organized Research Units, has developed a set of General Evaluative Criteria to provide clear and transparent guidance to researchers and research groups. The criteria will be used by VPRI and its advisory bodies to guide the prioritization of strategic research projects and other larger scale initiatives that require significant institutional supports.��

The criteria are meant to provide overarching guidance. Most projects will be expected to be built on a critical mass of excellence, have a research leadership plan, be strategically aligned and opportunistic, and to provide benefits back to the institution and community.

To view the full document and provide feedback, click here (Passport 91��ɫ login required).

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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