Irvin Studin, a doctoral candidate in constitutional law at York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School, has been chosen by the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation as one of this year’s 15 Trudeau Scholars.
It is the first time since the Trudeau Scholars Program began in 2003 that a York University student has been chosen for this award, which is given to outstanding doctoral students in the social 
sciences and the humanities to help accelerate their careers and enable them to make a significant contribution to Canada and to Canadians.
Right: Irvin Studin
“To say that this is a prestigious award would be an understatement,” said Osgoode Hall Law School Dean Patrick Monahan. “It really is in a class by itself, reserved for those scholars who are actively engaged in their fields and expected to become leading national and international figures. Irvin, whom I’ve come to know well as his doctoral supervisor, is a truly gifted scholar and the law school is very pleased and proud that he has received this well-deserved honour.”
In addition to a scholarship of up to $200,000, consisting of an annual $50,000 bursary to subsidize tuition fees, living expenses and travel for research and scholarly networking, Studin will benefit as a Trudeau Scholar from the expertise and knowledge of Trudeau Fellows and mentors – highly accomplished individuals in the Trudeau Foundation community – who lead in both academic and non-academic settings. The foundation’s Summer Institute, taking place May 27 to 30 in Quebec City, will be Studin’s first introduction to the Trudeau community.
Studin holds a 1999 BBA degree from the Schulich School of Business at York University and graduate degrees from the London School of Economics and Oxford University, where he studied on a Rhodes scholarship. At Osgoode Hall Law School, he is a lecturer and assistant director of the Jack & Mae Nathanson Centre on Transnational Human Rights, Crime & Security. His research examines how the link between diplomacy and the military influences Canada’s place in the world.
Prior to commencing his doctorate, Studin worked for several years as a foreign and security policy specialist at the Privy Council Office in Ottawa, as well as the Australian Department of the Prime Minister & Cabinet in Canberra, Australia. He co-authored Canada’s first-ever national security policy in 2004 and was the principal-author of Australia’s 2006 national counter-terrorism policy.
Studin is also the editor of the 2006 collection of 43 essays, which he gathered into a book, titled What is a Canadian?, published by McLelland & Stewart Limited. (See the Nov. 2, 2006 issue of YFile.)
About the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation funds outstanding scholars who make meaningful contributions to critical issues of the day as they relate to international relations, environment, responsible citizenship and human rights and dignity. The appointment of 15 Trudeau Scholars in 2008 brings the total number of scholarships awarded by the foundation since 2003 to 84. Trudeau Scholars are selected through a process that involves nomination by a university, an application supported by references and transcripts, internal and external review and selection panels, an interview and the formal approval of the Trudeau Foundation Board of Directors.