Canada's top researchers in social sciences and humanities recognized with prestigious national awards

Awards celebrate outstanding achievements by Canadian scholars helping to deepen our understanding of the world

OTTAWA, ON, Dec. 1, 2022 /CNW/ - Research about people, human behaviour and culture is crucial to helping us understand and improve the world around us, today and into the future. It provides us with a deeper understanding of humanity, which can be used to inform public policies that build a more resilient, equitable and just society.

Today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced the five recipients of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council's (SSHRC) 2022 Impact Awards. These awards are the highest honour bestowed by SSHRC. They recognize outstanding Canadian researchers and their research achievements, research training, knowledge mobilization and outreach activities funded partially or entirely by SSHRC.

Impact Award winners and finalists exemplify the very best in cutting-edge research about people, human thought, behaviour and culture. Their work pushes forward our understanding of humanity, unites diverse partners to serve common goals, and helps us shape society for the better.

Award winners will be celebrated during a special ceremony in Ottawa, starting at 5:30 p.m. today, that will be livestreamed at this link: Webcast - Registration (meetview.ca)

2022 Impact Award winners:

Cindy Blackstock, of McGill University, and a member of the Gitxsan Nation, is honoured with the Gold Medal for her work on Indigenous theory and the identification and remediation of systemic inequalities affecting First Nations children, youth and families. The Gold Medal is SSHRC's highest research honour and is awarded to an individual whose sustained leadership, dedication and originality of thought have inspired students and colleagues alike.

Semra Sevi, of Western University, is recognized with the Talent Award for her research focusing on voting behaviour, political representation, public opinion, legislative policies, partisanship and political methodology. The Talent Award recognizes the outstanding academic achievement of a current SSHRC doctoral scholarship or postdoctoral fellowship holder.

Jan Grabowski, of the University of Ottawa, is receiving the Insight Award for his research on the history and extermination of Polish Jews in the Holocaust during the Second World War, and for scholarly contributions and innovative research in the field. The Insight Award is given to an individual or team whose project has made significant contributions to the knowledge and understanding of people, societies and the world. 

Jordan Stanger-Ross, of the University of Victoria, is receiving the Connection Award for his groundbreaking interdisciplinary and community-based collaboration, Landscapes of Injustice, an unprecedented analysis of the dispossession of Japanese Canadians' property during the 1940s. The Connection Award recognizes an outstanding initiative facilitating the exchange of research knowledge within or beyond the social sciences and humanities community to generate intellectual, cultural, social or economic impacts. 

Fannie Lafontaine, of the Université Laval, and the Canada Research Chair in International Criminal Justice and Human Rights, is receiving the Partnership Award for leading the Canadian Partnership for International Justice, an interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration dedicated to championing the rights of victims of international crimes. The Partnership Award recognizes a formal partnership, which, through mutual co-operation, shared intellectual leadership and resources, has demonstrated impacts and influences within or beyond the social sciences and humanities research community. 

Quotes

"Congratulations to this year's Impact Award recipients: Canada's top social sciences and humanities leaders, thinkers and researchers! Their work showcases how social sciences and humanities research helps us better understand the complexities of our world and spur innovative solutions that are integral to our overall well-being and quality of life."

—The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

"The 2022 Impact Award winners have each made remarkable and consequential contributions to their fields in the social sciences and humanities, and we are pleased to celebrate their accomplishments today. Their work illustrates how the critical insights provided by social sciences and humanities research help all of us to chart a brighter and more prosperous future."

—Ted Hewitt, President, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

Quick facts

• The Gold Medal recipient will receive $100,000 for future research. The Gold Medal is the highest research honour bestowed by SSHRC.
  
  
• The winners of the Talent, Insight, Connection and Partnership Awards will each receive $50,000 in research funding. These awards reflect the main research funding programs administered by SSHRC.
  
  
• For each award, eligible institutions nominate candidates, who are evaluated by a multidisciplinary jury made up of distinguished individuals from academia, as well as the private, not-for-profit and public sectors, from Canada and abroad.
  
  
• The jury selects award recipients according to the selection criteria associated with each of the five awards.

The following individuals were finalists for each award:

Talent Award

• Nazlee Maghsoudi, University of Toronto
• Krista Ulujuk Zawadski, Carleton University

Insight Award

• Kang Lee, University of Toronto
• Katherine McKittrick, Queen's University

Connection Award

• Susan Dion, York University
• Bukola Oladunni Salami, University of Alberta

Partnership Award

• Philip Beesley, University of Waterloo
• Jeremy de Beer, University of Ottawa

Associated links

• SSHRC Impact Awards, including winners' profiles
• Selection criteria
• Previous SSHRC Impact Award winners

SOURCE Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

Laurie Bouchard, Senior Manager, Communications, Office of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, [email protected]; Media Relations, Innovation, Science and Industry, [email protected]; Lise Larocque, Communications Advisor, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, [email protected]