About the Project
This project aims to address systemic barriers faced by Black female scholars in accessing research data infrastructure (RDI) tools. We leverage training, mentorship, and tailored resources to enhance data management proficiency using tools like the Alliance’s DMP Assistant. By promoting access to tools such as the DMP Assistant, the project highlights the value of research data management (RDM) principles in organizing, analyzing, and ethically storing data while adhering to global research standards. Through empowering underrepresented scholars, the project seeks to drive excellence in research and foster equity in social science research fields.
The project aligns with several DRI (Digital Research Infrastructure) priorities, including:
- Research Data Management (RDM)
- Research Software
Key Events:
- Guest Speaker Forum - More details to follow
Hands-On Workshops:
- In-person – Monday, March 10, 2025 at the Hariet Tubman Institute, York University.
- Online – Friday, March 14, 2025 via Zoom
Funding Grant:
The Digital Research Infrastructure Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DRI EDIA) Champions pilot program is a $2.87 million funding opportunity to support equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDIA) in DRI. Through the program, 82 successful early-stage researchers were selected to serve as DRI EDIA Champions and receive up to $35,000 in funding. The funds are in use to support projects designed to advance local and inclusive awareness and uptake of national Alliance DRI services within the research community in Canada, specifically with members of equity-deserving groups. This opportunity aims to increase awareness and uptake of the Alliance’s digital research infrastructure (DRI) by equity-seeking groups.
Learn more about the funding by the Digital Research Alliance of Canada (DRAC) ('The Alliance') here: DRI Investments for 2023-25 | Digital Research Alliance of Canada
Also announced here: Advancing equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility in digital research infrastructure: $2.87 million awarded to DRI EDIA Champions | Digital Research Alliance of Canada
The closed Call for Proposals can be found here for more details: DRI EDIA Champions Pilot Program | Digital Research Alliance of Canada
'No Boundaries' Project Team:
Chika Maduakolam, Project Lead
Chika Maduakolam is a Ph.D. candidate in Socio-legal Studies at York University. She holds an LLM degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. She has worked as research assistant on an international research project on gendered violence in war; and domestic project on civil justice in Canada. Her main area of research is focused on sexual and gender-based violence in conflict. She is interested in the following research areas: conflict-related sexual violence, gender issues, militarized masculinities, international law and human rights. Chika can be reached at: chika16@yorku.ca.
Kimberly Mewalal, Project Research Associate
Kimberly Mewalal is a dedicated undergraduate student in her second year of the Law and Society program at York University. Passionate about all things law-related, she actively engages in opportunities that expand her legal knowledge and professional experience. As the Director of Operations for the Law and Society Students' Association at York University, Kimberly plays a key role in organizing events and fostering connections within the legal community. Her commitment to the field has led her to volunteer at law firms, work on cases alongside professionals, and participate in law-related clubs. Upon completing her undergraduate studies, Kimberly plans to apply to law school to deepen her understanding of the legal system and pursue a career as a lawyer.
Rebecca Seward-Langdon, Project Coordinator
Rebecca (she/her) graduated from the Master of Global Affairs program at the University of Toronto, studying global justice and development. Prior to that, she completed her Bachelor's Degree at Carleton University, double majoring in African Studies and Political Science. Her work at York University and beyond is fundamentally influenced and inspired by anticolonial thought and praxis. While living and working on Indigenous land Rebecca is committed to building global connections and solidarity.
Professor Annie Bunting, Supervisory Oversight
Annie Bunting is Professor of Law & Society at York University in Toronto, teaching in the areas of social justice, legal pluralism and human rights. She holds the York Research Chair in International Gender Justice & Peacebuilding (2024-2029). Her research expertise includes socio-legal studies of marriage and childhoods, feminist international law, and culture, religion and law. She previously directed an international research collaboration on conjugal slavery in conflict situations with historians of slavery and women’s human rights activist scholars; this project includes partners in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Uganda, Canada and England.
Professor Salewa Olawoye, Supervisory Oversight/Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility Mentor
Salewa is an Associate Professor in the Business and Society Program of the Department of Social Science at York University. She is the current Director of the Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on Africa and Its Diasporas at York University, Canada. She has a PhD in Economics and Social Science Consortium (University of Missouri – Kansas City, 2016). Her research focuses on heterodox approaches to sustainable economic development through natural resources, and monetary theory. She takes a bottom-up approach towards money from the individual level to the central bank. Her interdisciplinary research work mainly focuses on these issues in the Sub-Saharan African region. She co-edited the book, Monetary Policy and Central Banking: New Directions in Post-Keynesian Theory (2012) and has an edited book, COVID-19 and the Response of Central Banks: Coping with Challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa (2023).
Workshop Facilitators
Stephanie Quail, Director, Open Scholarship Department, York University Libraries
Stephanie is the director of York University Libraries' Open Scholarship (OS) department. She works with her colleagues in the OS department to develop services and programming in the areas of research data management, open access publishing, research visibility, open education, and data services for York's students, faculty, and staff. You can learn more about these services on the Libraries' website.
Minglu Wang, Research Data Management Librarian, York University Libraries
Minglu is a Research Data Management (RDM) Librarian at York University Libraries. She works within the Open Scholarship department and focuses on providing RDM training and consultations to York University researchers. She is also a member of the Research Intelligence Expert Group, a part of The Digital Research Alliance of Canada (The Alliance) RDM Team, and takes part in research of the RDM capacity of Canadian Institutions.
Harshita Singh, Part-time Librarian, York University Libraries.
Harshita is a part-time librarian in the Open Scholarship (OS) department. She's a recent graduate of the University of Toronto's Master of Information program. She supports library services and programs, such as providing consultations and co-teaching workshops in the areas of research data management and research visibility.
About the Funder
This project is supported by:
Alliance DRI Training and Resources - Grant Funders
The Digital Research Alliance of Canada serves Canadian researchers, with the objective of advancing Canada’s position as a leader in the knowledge economy on the international stage. By integrating, championing and funding the infrastructure and activities required for advanced research computing (ARC), research data management (RDM) and research software (RS), we provide the platform for the research community to access tools and services faster than ever before.
Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on Africa & its Diaspora - Partnership support
The Harriet Tubman Institute seeks to be the preeminent, interdisciplinary centre for research, both historical and contemporary, on Africa and its global diasporas. Our mandate encompasses the study of pre-contact cultures and histories of Africa, histories of slavery and colonialism. It focuses on the struggles in current lives of African peoples and diasporic communities to achieve social justice and covers contemporary forms of exploitation.
The Institute offers York University and the broader community an internationally recognized hub for studies and documentation on Africa and its Diasporas. In pursuing its mandate, the Institute fosters debates among scholars, engages with the community, and informs public policy. It is committed to equity and social justice.
Being located in the francophone minority context in Toronto, which has become the home of a growing number of Black francophone peoples, the Institute aligns with York University's White Paper, which highlights Anglophone and Francophone bilingualism.
The HTI Research Agenda is available here.
Research Data Management Services, York University Libraries - Project Support
Research Data Management (RDM) involves planning and the process of research data collection, documentation, storage, backup, access, sharing, and reuse throughout a research project. It spans the entire research project lifecycle, from drafting the research plan, to implementing it, to the preservation and publication of data (where applicable). York University Libraries (YUL) supports students, faculty, and staff with their RDM needs by offering the following services:
- Data Management Plan consultations: YUL can provide an orientation to the DMP Assistant (Canada’s national online data management planning tool), which helps researchers think through the complexities of data management for their respective project.
- Data Management Strategy consultations: YUL can assist with complex data management questions and connect researchers to additional campus supports.
- Research Data Deposit consultations: YUL can work with researchers to assist them in identifying trusted data repositories and depositing their data in accordance with grant and publisher requirements. The Libraries’ RDM team also manages York University’s Dataverse, York’s institutional research data repository, and provides support to York researchers who would like to deposit their research data into Dataverse.
- RDM workshops: The Libraries offer RDM workshops throughout the Fall and Winter semesters on topics such as RDM best practices, creating a DMP, and depositing data to York University’s Dataverse repository. You can also review archived workshops here.
- Get in touch: If you need RDM support, send an email to yul_rdm@yorku.ca.
- Learn more: The Libraries’ webpages on RDM include a variety of resources that support researchers with their RDM needs.