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2024 York University Research Awards Celebration

Each year, the York University Research Award Celebration celebrates York’s scholars across all faculties and schools for their remarkable achievements. The President and Vice-President Research and Innovation take the opportunity to recognize their efforts and contributions to the world as drivers of positive change.

This year LA&PS researchers in diverse areas are praised for their mobilization efforts to create change in their communities and beyond.

Royal Society of Canada

The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) recognizes leading intellectuals, scholars, researchers and artists to help them build a better future in Canada and around the world. Fellows have made remarkable contributions in the arts, the humanities and the sciences, as well as in Canadian public life. The College of the New Scholars, Scientists and Artists recognizes emerging research excellence. The RSC also recognizes outstanding achievement through awards and medals. The RSC also recognizes outstanding achievement through awards and medals. This year, York added two new Fellows from LA&PS.

Joshua Fogel

Professor in the Department of History, Fogel was elected as a Fellow to the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) for remarkable contributions in the field of Asian studies. Fogel’s research focuses on the cultural, political and economic interactions between China and Japan, the importance of Japan in China’s modern development and the changing attitudes both countries have towards one another from the 14th to 19th centuries.

Sara Horowitz

Professor in the Department of Humanities and Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics, Horowitz was elected as a Fellow to the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) for remarkable contributions in Jewish studies. Horowitz’s research and published works focus on Holocaust literature, women survivors, Jewish American fiction and Israeli cinema.

Canada Research Chairs

This prestigious national program aims to attract and retain some of the world’s most promising minds from all disciplines to institutions across Canada. This year, York has welcomed one renewed Canada Research Chairs from LA&PS for a total number of 35 chairholders.

Ethel Tungohan

Associate Professor in the Department of Politics, Tungohan’s renewed appointment as a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Canadian Migration Policy, Impacts and Activism, recognizes her emerging international leadership in the field.

York Research Chairs

The YRC program recognizes the University’s outstanding researchers and is the internal counterpart to the Canada Research Chairs program. These five-year awards provide resources to accelerate and facilitate the Chairholder’s international research profile. They are awarded for established research leaders (Tier 1) and emerging research leaders (Tier 2). This award recognizes the 5 new YRCs from LA&PS appointed in 2022.

Jacob Beck

Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy, Beck was named a Tier 2 York Research Chair in the Philosophy of Visual Perception, reflecting emerging international leadership in the field.

Denielle Elliott

Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology and Department of Social Science, Elliott was named a Tier 2 York Research Chair in Injured Minds, reflecting emerging international leadership in the field.

Andrea Emberly

Associate Professor in the Department of Humanities, Emberly was named a Tier 2 York Research Chair in Children’s Musical Cultures, reflecting emerging international leadership in the field.

Jimmy Huang

Professor in the School of Information Technology, Huang was named a Tier 1 York Research Chair Big Data Analytics, reflecting internationally-recognized leadership in the field.

Cary Wu

Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology, Wu was named a Tier 2 York Research Chair in Political Sociology of Health reflecting emerging international leadership in the field.

Exceptional Book Prizes

This category recognizes York scholars who have produced outstanding publications lauded by their peers.

Alison Halsall

Associate Professor in the Department of Humanities, Halsall was recognized for winning the comic industry’s most distinguished Eisner Award for Best Academic/Scholarly Work, titled “The LGBTQ+ Comics Studies Reader: Critical Openings, Future Directions”.

Christina Sharpe


Professor in the Department of Humanities, Sharpe was recognized for winning the 2023 Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction, which recognizes the very best in Canadian writing, for the book “Ordinary Notes”.

Jonathan Warren

Associate Professor in the Department of English, Warren was recognized for winning the comic industry’s most distinguished 2023 Eisner Award for Best Academic/Scholarly Work, titled “The LGBTQ+ Comics Studies Reader: Critical Openings, Future Directions”.

Outstanding Knowledge Mobilization & Impact

This category recognizes York Researchers who have demonstrated outstanding knowledge mobilization and impact through important connections outside of academia to disseminate and translate research results to the benefit of society. 

Kristen Andrews

Professor in the Department of Philosophy, Andrews was recognized for being named a Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) Future Flourishing Program.

Prestigious Fellowships, Honours & Awards

This category reflects York scholars whose leadership in the field is reflected by election to academic societies in their field and awards from these bodies.

Tesh Dagne

Associate Professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration, Dagne was recognized for being named as an Ontario Research Chair in Governing Artificial Intelligence.

Andrea Davis

Professor in the Department of Humanities, Davis was recognized for being given an honorary doctor of laws degree in recognition of pioneering work bringing Black studies programming to Canadian academia and research leadership in organizing Congress 2023.

Robert Gehl

Associate Professor in the Department of Communication & Media Studies, Gehl was recognized for being named an Ontario Research Chair in Digital Governance for Social Justice.

Wenona Giles

Professor Emerita in the Department of Anthropology, Giles was recognized for being appointed as an Officer to the Order of Canada for significant contributions to refugee and migration studies and efforts to increase access to higher education among those living in refugee camps.

Leah Vosko

Professor in the Department of Politics, Vosko was recognized for winning the Canadian Industrial Relations Association Gérard Dion Award in recognition of extensive contributions to research, teaching and service to the field of Industrial Relations.

Major Grants

This category recognizes researchers who are leading major research initiatives that can advance our understanding of the world and address societal challenges. These researchers have brought in large-scale funding and secured awards in highly competitive programs.

Richard Saunders

Associate Professor in the Department of Politics, Saunders was recognized for receiving a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Partnership Grant to explore “African Extractivism and the Greener Transition.”

Leah Vosko

Professor in the Department of Politics, Vosko was recognized for receiving a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Partnership Grant for examining “Liberating Migrant Labour?: International Mobility Programs in Settler-Colonial Contexts.”

Notable Early Career Awards

Cary Wu

Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology, Wu was recognized for winning the Early Investigator Award from the Canadian Sociological Association in recognition of for scholarly work and significant research contributions to the field of Canadian Sociology.

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