The Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) continues to be a tremendously exciting place to study and work. We are proud to support those who will have an integral part in Canada’s future. Graduate Studies is where the next generation of impactful careers and cutting-edge ideas are born.
Quick Links
- Discover Grad Research: Knowledge Now
- Read our monthly newsletter – FGSnews
- View our Graduate Studies Handbook
- Attend our next Open House: Experience Grad York
- Read York University’s Land Acknowledgment
A MESSAGE FROM OUR VICE-PROVOST & DEAN
We continue to lead both in our commitment to engaged research and in the values at the core of York as a university: excellence, equity, access, sustainability, diversity and decolonization among them. These values guide the research that is conceived and created in collaboration between students and supervisors and – equally – the inclusive approach to graduate education and research that shapes that research, with an emphasis on engagement, collaboration, depth of thought, expanded conceptual horizons and broken boundaries.
Alice MacLachlan
Vice-Provost & Dean
A photo of Alice MacLachlan
TESTIMONIALS
It has been 60 years of knowledge creation and passion for excellence. Graduate Education at York empowers citizens, leaders, changemakers and communities with rich knowledge and applied skills.
— Tokunbo Ojo, Associate Dean Students (2023-Current)
Sixty years of creating a space where students can self-identify a scholarly passion project and be mentored in order to affect change. Real change. That’s graduate studies at York University.
— Cheryl van Daalen-Smith, Associate Dean, Academic (2022-Current)
Graduate education at York is a place of constant change. It can never be accused of being dull; there is always something emerging, innovating, changing. What I have always appreciated about the graduate community at York is the people. Our students are incredible: leading creative and innovative research and showcasing their talents in such interesting ways. Our dedicated grad faculty members embark on this journey with their students, guiding them through their degrees with unwavering mentorship and helping to shape leaders in their fields. The FGS team, along with the broader graduate administrative staff, possess a unique and profound knowledge base. In FGS alone, our team boasts over 120 years of combined FGS experience, a testament to their dedication and commitment.
— Heather Moore, Executive Officer (2011-2016, 2024-Current)
As a proud member of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, I can wholeheartedly say that my journey here has been nothing short of transformative. From the very first day, I was welcomed into a community that values collaboration, and personal growth. I have had the privilege of working alongside dedicated colleagues who are not only passionate about their roles but are also deeply committed to student success. The supportive environment encourages us to share ideas and challenge one another, fostering a culture of continuous improvement. I look forward to many more years of learning, and growing together.
— Richolette Freckleton, Associate Director, Research, Scholarships & Awards (2008-Current)
Supporting the academic journeys of such a diverse body of graduate researchers and scholars is an enriching experience that the Faculty of Graduate Studies embraces each and every day.
— Wesley Moir, Associate Director, Graduate Academic Affairs (2014-Current)
Graduate Studies at York is where the next generation of impactful careers and cutting-edge ideas are born. It’s a place where knowledge is made!
— Anesa Albert, Associate Director, Communications & Digital Engagement (2016-Current)
Between its pan-university academic Council and its dedicated administrative team, FGS demands* and promotes the conditions in which scholarship and creativity, research and state-of-the-art training can flourish. Those conditions are certainly material, physical, programmatic and institutional – but especially as these enable fundamentally important human and interpersonal conditions: professors and peers with whom one develops the acumen and confidence to experiment in novel, dazzling ways. We want a consequence of Tentanda Via to be “I couldn’t have achieved what I have anywhere else but at York.”
— Thomas Loebel, Dean & AVP Graduate (2018-2023)
When I think of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, I just think brave. Graduate students that bravely ask (and answer) the hard questions. Faculty members that bravely guide and challenge the best and brightest. A team in the Office of the Dean that bravely lives the values, and takes on the challenges of being the very first central service within a body of Senate at York University. All coming together to prioritize and expand the knowledge and curiosity to solve tomorrow’s problems. What a defining moment to have been part of this group.
— Jodi Tavares, Executive Officer (2015-2017, 2018-2022)
FGS is the crucial foundation for York as an interdisciplinary university—it’s the pan-University Faculty that ensures excellence, success, and support for graduate students and faculty across all York campuses.
— Michael Zryd, Associate Dean, Academic (2015-2019)
The time I spent as the Executive Officer in the Faculty of Graduate Studies, I was impressed by the wealth of high-quality academic support and dedication by our staff to ensure our graduate students are successful in their academic careers.
— Mario Verrilli, Executive Officer (2015-2018)
Graduate education matters and is critical to our ever expanding global community.
— Barbara Crow, Dean & AVP Graduate (2012-2017)
Collegial participation marks Graduate Studies at every level and makes its well-being a case of “United We Stand.”
— John Lennox, Dean (1999-2005)
My role as Graduate Program Administrator has been deeply rewarding, allowing me to witness firsthand the growth and achievements of countless students.
— Karen Dancy, Graduate Program Administrator (1995-Current)
York will go on being fresh, innovative, and somehow always right for its time.
— Toronto Life Magazine, (October 1970)
In universities generally, courses focusing on women and their concerns began to be taught in the very early 1970s. York was in the 99 vanguard in developing this field.
— Michiel Horn, York University: The Way Must Be Tried
Student accomplishments are recognized around the world, but above all, it’s the staff who work in Graduate Studies that really distinguish it.
— Diane Jenner, Graduate Program Coordinator
Graduate education has been established with care and thoroughness and we are now able to move forward…confident that graduate education at York has a widely recognized status.
— Murray Ross, These Ten Years
OUR GRADUATE COMMUNITY
PhDs
MA
MESes
MSWs
MScs
MEds
MFAs
MFAcs
MScNs
MPPALs
MHRMs
MAScs
MPIAs
MDEMs
MLCEs, MDeses, MFScs
MCIs
Postdoctoral Fellows
and Visitors
Faculty Members Appointed
Graduate Programs
Academic Degrees and
Diplomas
PURSUE YOUR PASSION, FIND YOUR PROGRAM
York’s Faculty of Graduate Studies offers over 100 full- and part-time professional and academic degree and diploma programs to enhance your expertise and guide you toward a fulfilling career.
FGS BY THE NUMBERS (ANNUAL)
$11.2M
Awarded in Tri-councils +
prestigious scholarships
$75M
Given in funding dollars (inc. Fellowships & TAs)
$1.4M
Provided towards research support (inc. Academic Excellence Fund)
$10M
Created in graduate bursaries
$65.5M
Bestowed in graduate awards
MEET OUR TOP 30 ALUMNI UNDER 30
At home and abroad, graduates of York University are not only entering the workforce prepared to put their education into practice, but to enact positive, real-world change. Representing every faculty at the University, the Top 30 Alumni Under 30 are applying the education, skills and experiences they received at York to meaningful careers and community service endeavours, demonstrating a long-standing commitment to the public good.
Bintu Alkassoum
MMAI ’22, Schulich School of Business
Artificial intelligence innovator and entrepreneur
Khadeja Elsibai
MPPAL ’22, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
Public servant and community builder
Ketaki Gadre
MF ’21, Schulich School of Business
Author and educator
John Lau
MES ’19, Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change
Sustainability leader
View LinkedIn profile
Sara Pishdadian
MA ’18, PhD ’23, Faculty of Health
Clinician and health equity advocate
Sam Rockbrune
MA ’19, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
Community leader and social justice advocate
Bianca Bondi
MA ’19, Faculty of Health
Clinical researcher and child development advocate
Victoria Canale
MSW ‘21 Faculty of Graduate Studies
Public health researcher and social worker
Lucas DeLuca
MA ’19, Faculty of Health
Accessibility strategist and advocate
Philip Geller
MFA ’22, School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design
Theatre artist and storyteller
Ying Gu
MES ’19, Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change
Sustainability advisor and climate change advocate
Shalini Iyer
MSc ’22, Faculty of Health
Scientist, STEM educator and EDI advocate
Kate Haiyun Mossop
MLCE ’21, Faculty of Education
Community builder
Lela Pacitti-Sander
MES ’17, Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change
Community planner and youth worker
Raghavender Sahdev
MSC ’18, Lassonde School of Engineering
Entrepreneur
Alyssa Segula
MBA ’22, Schulich School of Business
Healthcare innovator
Korina Thomas-Reynolds
MEd ’20, Faculty of Education
Educator and entrepreneur
Iris Yusupov
MA ’18, Faculty of Health,
MBA ’22, Schulich School of Business
Clinical researcher and mental health advocate
Suzanna Alsayed
MDEM ’20, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies / Faculty of Graduate Studies
Tech entrepreneur
Sayjon Ariyarathnam
MPPAL ’22, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
Public servant and community builder
Elijah Bawuah
MES ’21, Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change/ Faculty of Graduate Studies
EDI advocate and mentor
Jonathan Clodman
MEd ’20, Faculty of Education/Faculty of Graduate Studies
Educator and public health advocate
Jason Robinson emailWebsite
MES ’19, Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change/Faculty of Graduate Studies
Environmental and EDI advocate
Miranda Baksh
MES ’19, Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change
CEO and Founder, Community Climate Council
Bo Cheng
MMAI ’20, Faculty of Science; Schulich School of Business
Data Scientist, Rogers Communications
Nicole Doray
MES ’19, Glendon College; Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change
Manager, Social Impact, Innovation and Transition Leadership at Academy for Sustainable Innovation; Senior Researcher, ASI International
Mikhaela Gray-Beerman
MED ’18, Glendon College; Faculty of Education
Anti-trafficking advocate, researcher and educator
David (Xiaoyu) Wang
MSCM ’20, Schulich School of Business
Environmental Advisory Committee and Accessibility Advisory Committee, The Town of East Gwillimbury; Manager, Transportation and Optimization, Labatt Breweries of Canada
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
Postdoctoral Supervisor of the Year Award
Recognition will be given to one Postdoctoral Supervisor who has demonstrated exemplary support for postdoctoral scholars at York University, exceeding general supervisory expectations. One Postdoctoral Supervisor will be honoured with the Postdoctoral Supervisor of the Year Award at the Postdoctoral Welcome Event each fall.
Recipients (Present – 2017)
2023
Alison Crosby
2023
Amro Zayed
2022
Sapna Sharma
2021
Ellen Bialystok
2020
Petros Faloutsos
2019
John Douglas Crawford
2019
Sean Rehaag
2018
Laura Levin
2017
Pat Armstrong
Faculty Teaching Award
The Faculty of Graduate Studies’ Teaching Award is bestowed annually on a member of the Faculty of Graduate Studies who has displayed substantial, significant and sustained excellence, commitment and enthusiasm to the multifaceted aspects of teaching at the graduate level at York.
Recipients (Present – 1994)
Year: 2023–2024
Name: Benjamin Berger
Program Name : Graduate Programs in Law, Socio-Legal Studies
Year: 2022-2023
Name: Anne MacLennan
Program Name : Graduate Programs in Communication & Culture, History and Interdisciplinary Studies
Year: 2021-2022
Name: Eric Mykhalovskiy
Program Name : Graduate Programs in Socio-Legal Studies, Sociology, Health, Science and Technology Studies
Year: 2020-2021
Name: Michele Johnson
Program Name : Graduate Programs in Education, History, Social & Political Thought, Theatre & Performance Studies
Year: 2020-2021
Name: Sandra Schecter
Program Name : Graduate Program in Education
Year: 2019-2020
Name: Michaela Hynie
Program Name : Graduate Programs in Development Studies, Environmental Studies, Health, Interdisciplinary Studies, Kinesiology & Health Science and Psychology
Year: 2018-2019
Name: Richard Murray
Program Name : Graduate Programs in Biology, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, and Psychology
Year: 2017-2018
Name: Rebecca Pillai Riddell
Program Name: Graduate Program in Psychology
Year: 2016-2017
Name: Carl E. James
Program Name: Graduate Programs in Education, Interdisciplinary Studies, Social & Political Thought, Sociology, and Social Work
Year: 2015-2016
Name: Nicholas Cercone
Program Name: Graduate Program in Computer Science & Engineering
Year: 2015-2016
Name: Celia Haig-Brown
Program Name: Graduate Programs in Education, Environmental Studies, Gender, Feminist & Women’s Studies, Humanities, and Social & Political Thought
Year: 2014-2015
Name: Kathryn McPherson
Program Name: Graduate Programs in History and Gender, Feminist & Women’s Studies
Year: 2013-2014
Name: Meg Luxton
Program Name: Graduate Programs in Gender, Feminist & Women’s Studies, Social & Political Thought and Sociology
Year: 2012-2013
Name: Laurence R. Harris
Program Name: Graduate Programs in Biology, Kinesiology & Health Science and Psychology
Year: 2011-2012
Name: Joel Katz
Program Name: Graduate Program in Psychology
Year: 2011-2012
Name: Paul Lovejoy
Program Name: Graduate Program in History
Year: 2010-2011
Name: Bettina Bradbury
Program Name: Graduate Programs in History and Women’s Studies
Year: 2010-2011
Name: Janine Marchessault
Program Name: Graduate Programs in Communication & Culture, Film, Humanities, Social & Political Thought and Sociology
Year: 2010-2011
Name: Ward Struthers
Program Name: Graduate Programs in Health and Psychology
Year: 2009-2010
Name: Geoffrey Reaume
Program Name: Graduate Programs in Critical Disability Studies, Environmental Studies and Health
Year: 2009-2010
Name: Marc Stein
Program Name: Graduate Programs in History and Women’s Studies
Year: 2008-2009
Name: Norman Gledhill
Program Name: Graduate Program in Kinesiology & Health Science
Year: 2008-2009
Name: Amir Asif
Program Name: Graduate Programs in Computer Science and Earth & Space Science
Year: 2007-2008
Name: Liora Salter
Program Name: Graduate Programs in Communication & Culture, Environmental Studies and Law
Year: 2007-2008
Name: Daniel Simeoni
Program Name: Graduate Program in Translation
Year: 2006-2007
Name: David Hood
Program Name: Graduate Programs in Biology and Kinesiology & Health Science
Year: 2006-2007
Name: Adrienne Perry
Program Name: Graduate Programs in Psychologyraduate Programs in Biology and Kinesiology & Health Science
Year: 2005-2006
Name: Leslie Higgins
Program Name: Graduate Programs in English and Humanities
Year: 2005-2006
Name: Stephen Weiss
Program Name: Graduate Program in Business Administration
Year: 2004-2005
Name: M. Jane Irvine
Program Name: Graduate Programs in Biology, Kinesiology & Health Science and Psychology
Year: 2004-2005
Name: Isabel M. Killoran
Program Name: Graduate Programs in Critical Disability Studies and Education
Year: 2003-2004
Name: Douglas Crawford
Program Name: Graduate Programs in Biology, Kinesiology & Health Science and Psychology
Year: 2003-2004
Name: Livy Visano
Program Name: Graduate Programs in Social & Political Thought, Social Work and Sociology
Year: 2002-2003
Name: Barrie Coukell
Program Name: Graduate Program in Biology
Year: 2002-2003
Name: David Reid
Program Name: Graduate Program in Psychology
Year: 2001-2002
Name: Barbara Godard
Program Name: Graduate Programs in English, Études françaises, Social & Political Thought and Women’s Studies
Year: 2000-2001
Name: Robert Murdie
Program Name: Graduate Program in Geography
Year: 2000-2001
Name: David Smukler
Program Name: Graduate Program in Theatre
Year: 1999-2000
Name: Deborah Britzman
Program Name: Graduate Programs in Education, English and Social & Political Thought
Year: 1999-2000
Name: Barbara Hanson
Program Name: Graduate Program in Sociology
Year: 1998-1999
Name: Gary Bunch
Program Name: Graduate Program in Education
Year: 1998-1999
Name: Hiroshi Ono
Program Name: Graduate Program in Psychology
Year: 1997-1998
Name: Selma Odom
Program Name: Graduate Program in Dance
Year: 1996-1997
Name: Ken Little
Program Name: Graduate Programs in Communication & Culture and Social Anthropology
Year: 1996-1997
Name: Shake Toukmanian
Program Name: Graduate Program in Psychology
Year: 1995-1996
Name: David Rennie
Program Name: Graduate Program in Psychology
Year: 1994-1995
Name: Robert Witmer
Program Name: Graduate Programs in Ethnomusicology & Musicology, Social Anthropology
Thesis and Dissertation Prizes
The Faculty of Graduate Studies will award a maximum of six (6) thesis prizes for exceptional theses defended in a given year (i.e., calendar year January 1 to December 31). Normally three (3) of these will be awarded for Master’s theses and three (3) for Doctoral dissertations.
Recipients (Present – 1993)
Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS)
The Vanier CGS program aims to attract and retain world-class doctoral students by supporting students who demonstrate both leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement in graduate studies in the social sciences, humanities, natural sciences, engineering, and health.
Recipients (Present – 2011)
Name: Grace Ann Bischof
Program: Physics & Astronomy
Project: Characterizing Inter-Crater Dust Dynamics in Gale Crater, Mars in Preparation of Human Exploration.
Name: Roberta Da Silva Medina
Program: Socio-Legal Studies
Project: Vertical Surveillance: Urban Police Use of Drone Technology in Brazil and Canada.
Name: Joshua Marcus Harris Fountain Lamers
Program: Law
Project: The Golden Ticket? Black Adoptees, Transracial Adoption and Rethinking Legal Adoption.
Name: Romeo Joe Linao Quintero
Program: Geography
Project: Building Liveable Futures in Camps: Everyday Placemaking Practices of Internally Displaced Women in the Southern Philippines.
Name: Areej Alshammiry
Program: Sociology
Name: Jordan Lynne Marissa Krywonos
Program: Physics & Astronomy
Name: Marissa Anne Magneson
Program: Education
Name: Austin Martins-Robalino
Program: Civil Engineering
Name: Greg Levi Procknow
Program: Critical Disability Studies
Name: Cole Ernest Swanson
Program: Environmental Studies
Name: Anna Waisman
Program: Clinical Psychology
Name: Katherine Barron
Program: Education: Languages, Culture & Teaching
Name: Toby Anne Finlay
Program: Sociology
Name: Sarah Grace Grothaus
Program: Computational Arts / Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
Name: Deanne Michelle Sowter
Program: Law
Name: Alyssia Dawn Wilson
Program: Clinical Developmental Psychology
Name: Debbie Renee Ebanks Schlums
Program: Cinema and Media Studies
Name: Maureen Achieng Owino
Program: Environmental Studies
Name: Laura Marie Keane
Program: Mathematics & Statistics
Name: Balikisu Osman
Program: Environmental Studies
Name: Rajat Nayyar
Program: Theatre, Dance, & Performance Studies
Name: Cameron Michael Butler
Program: Social Anthropology
Name: Heather Anne Bergen
Program: Social Work
Name: Shraddha Chatterjee
Program: Gender, Feminist & Women’s Studies
Name: Nadha Hassen
Program: Environmental Studies
Name: Inbar Peled
Program: Law
Name: Okechukwu Emmanuel Effoduh
Program: Law
Name: Rivka Ruth Green
Program: Psychology
Name: Natasha Lorraine Henry-Dixon
Program: History
Name: Hannah Charlotte Rackow
Program: Theatre, Dance, & Performance Studies
Name: Susan Anne Bell Chiblow
Program: Environmental Studies
Name: Leigha April Comer
Program: Sociology
Name: Claudia Francesca Sicondolfo
Program: Cinema & Media Studies
Name: Erica Lee Tatham
Program: Psychology
Name: Tyrone Christopher Hall
Program: Communication & Culture
Name: Elan Taylor Marchinko
Program: Theatre, Dance, & Performance Studies
Name: Kam Jyhming Phung
Program: Administration
Name: Syrus Ware
Program: Environmental Studies
Name: Alison Dudley Humphrey
Program: Cinema & Media Studies
Name: Jesse Adrian Thistle
Program: History
Name: Zachary Agele Lomo
Program: Law
Name: Dessi Petrova Zaharieva
Program: Kinesiology & Health Science
Name: Samantha R. Fashler
Program: Psychology
Name: Christopher Vanden Berg
Program: Political Science
Name: Jolin Joseph
Program: Gender, Feminist & Women’s Studies
Name: Noa Rachel Nahmias
Program: History
Name: Kyo Iona Maclear
Program: Education
Name: Alexandra Eileen Terrana
Program: Physics & Astronomy
Name: Vanessa Fleet
Program: Art History & Visual Culture
Name: Oded Haas
Program: Environmental Studies
Name: Douglas William Hunter
Program: History
Name: Bretton Fosbrook
Program: Science & Technology Studies
Name: Juha Pekka Mikkonen
Program: Health
Name: Samantha Akemi Yamada
Program: Psychology
Name: Kaley Maureen Roosen
Program: Psychology
Name: Pierre-Yann Dube Dolbec
Program: Administration
Name: Gorcin Dizdar
Program: Humanities
Name: Yasin Kaya
Program: Political Science
Name: Isaac Levi Osuoka
Program: Environmental Studies
Name: James Daniel Trepanier
Program: History
Name: Tania Hernandez Cervantes
Program: Environmental Studies
Name: Healy Frances Johanna Thompson
Program: Women’s Studies
Name: Lisa Angela Romano-Dwyer
Program: Education
Name: Kristine Lynn Fitzgerald
Program: Psychology
Name: Danielle Silvie Oiming Kwan-Lafond
Program: Sociology
Name: Dilys Elizabeth Haner
Program: Psychology
Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship Competition
The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program provides funding to the very best postdoctoral applicants, both nationally and internationally, who will positively contribute to the country’s economic, social and research-based growth.
Recipients (Present – 2015)
Name: Saba Asaad
Department: Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
Project: Over-the-Air Federated Learning via Benchmark Wireless Network
Name: Stephen Melly
Department: Department of Mechanical Engineering
Project: Development of the computational constitutive model for super-soft 4D bioprinted materials
Name: Lynn Yu Ling Ng
Department: Department of Politics, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
Project: Care for All is Care that Pulls Us Through
Name: Chiara Camponeschi
Department: Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research
Project: Turning Moments of Crisis into Moments of Care: An Integrative Approach to Climate Resilience and Planetary Health
Name: Ashlee Christoffersen
Department: Department of Politics
Project: Operationalizing Intersectionality: Equality policy and NGOs
Name: Mohammad Naderi
Department: Biology
Project: Deciphering the role of environmental contaminants, bisphenol A and bisphenol S, in the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorder using zebrafish as a model system
Name: Vasily Panferov
Department: Chemistry
Project: Innovative Point-of-Care Monitoring of Inflammatory Biomarkers for Early-Stage Diagnosis of Sepsis
Name: Melchisedek Chetima
Department: History
Project: Boko Haram’s Grand-Fathers: Slave-Raiding, Kidnapping and Weaponized Social Mobility in the Chad Basin Borderland
Name: Kate Turner
Department: Social Science
Project: A New Generation of Geographical Indications in the Americas? Mobilizing Biocultural Heritage for Self-determined Community Development
Name: Salman Hussain
Department: Social Science & Anthopology
Project: Hijra Human Rights and Legal Recognition in Pakistan: Gender Justice, ‘Third Gender’ and Embodied Identity
Name: Sylvie Bodineau
Department: Social Science/Law & Society
Project: Fifteen years after. The everyday social life of ex- child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Name: Heather Fitzsimmons Frey
Department: Theatre, Dance, & Performance Studies
Project: Rehearsing Revolutions: Girls, Amateur Theatre, and Encounters Between 19th and 21st Century Girls
Name: Richard Last
Department: Humanities, History
Project: The Occupational and Neighbourhood Settings of Early Christianity
Name: Mary Elizabeth (M.E.) Luka
Faculty: School of Arts, Media, Performance and Design
Project: From creative citizenship to globally networked cultural collaborations: Imagining culture, identity and creative work today.
Name: Heath MacMillan
Department: Biology
Project: MacMillan’s research integrates observations at the subcellular, cellular, tissue, organ and whole animal levels to explain the critical differences in animal physiology that can mean life or death in the cold.
Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship for Black & Indigenous Scholars
The Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowships for Black and Indigenous Scholars program was created to address the under-representation of Black and Indigenous scholars in many disciplines, fields of research, and associated careers. One fellowship for a scholar identifying as Black and one for a scholar identifying as Indigenous are typically given in an academic year.
Recipients (Present – 2021)
Name: Doug Anderson
Department: Education
Name: Jean de Dieu Uwisengeyimana
Department: Biomedical Engineering
Name: Sylvester Aboagye
Department: Electrical Engineering
Name: Landing Badji
Department: Ecology and Ecosystem Management
Name: Leora Gansworth
Department: Critical Human Geography
Name: Graeme Reed
Department: Rural Studies
Name: Godwin Dzah
Department: Law
Name: Don Davies
Department: Biology
Name: De-Lawrence Lamptey
Department: Critical Disability Studies
Name: Ruth Murambadoro
Department: Gender, Sexuality and Women Studies
GRAD STUDIES’ HIGHLIGHTS & RESEARCH SPOTLIGHTS
TIMELINE
York University opens its doors
Faculty of Graduate Studies is approved
First graduate students enroll
First meeting of the FGS Council
Dean: Edgar McInnis
Dean: Mort Appley
First PhD is awarded (in psychology)
Acting Dean: John Yolton
Acting Dean: Frank Elkin
Construction of Osgoode Hall
Dean: Michael Collie
Toronto Life Magazine calls York U “the happiest campus in Canada”
Acting Dean: Richard Storr
Jack Layton, former NDP leader, earns his MA in Political Science
York U now offers MA and PhD degrees in all major fields of study
Dean: Graham F. Reed
Acting Dean: Barry Argyle
Dean: David V.J. Bell
YUGSA, the York U Graduate Student Association, is officially initiated as a voice and advocate for graduate students
Steve MacLean, former head of the CSA, earns his PhD in Physics
Wendy E. Alger wins York U’s first Governor General’s Gold Medal for academic excellence in graduate studies
Dean: Sandra Pyke
Dean: David Leyton-Brown
The Susan Mann Dissertation Scholarship is created in honour of York University’s first female president
Christian Bök, author of Canada’s best-selling poetry collection Eunoia, earns his PhD in English
The first doctorate in Women’s Studies in Canada is awarded to Katherine Side
Dean: John W. Lennox
Dean: Douglas Peers
Isaak Osuoka, Jillian Ollivierre, and Yikun Zhao become the first Elia Scholars, York U’s highest honour for graduate students
Samantha A. Yamada becomes York U’s first Vanier Scholar, Canada’s highest doctoral award
Craig Kielburger, Co-Founder of Free The Children, earns his EMBA
Alfred Metallic defends the first PhD dissertation in Canada completed in an Aboriginal language without translation
Dean: Allan C. Hutchinson
Dean: Barbara Crow
Acting Dean: Fahim Quadir
Dean: Thomas Loebel
Dean: Alice MacLachlan
Faculty of Graduate Studies hosts conference on the state of graduate student supervision with an eye to the future
York University announces first-of-its-kind PhD Program in Disaster and Emergency Management (DEM)
OUR CAMPUSES
FGS 60th Anniversary Award
This newly-established award will be given to 6 part-time BIPOC scholars who are making excellent academic progress and demonstrate financial need. This award represents FGS’ commitment to both DEDI and Access for All, in acknowledgement of the barriers facing many scholars who balance advanced study with other commitments and caregiving.