Government of Canada Invests in Development of World-Class Research Talent

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - July 28, 2011) - The Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology), today announced a significant federal investment in the development of research talent among Canada's top graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in the social sciences and humanities. This investment of $116 million will support more than 2,500 of Canada's emerging research leaders with funding awarded through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada's (SSHRC's) Talent program. The program comprises the Joseph A. Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships, SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships, and, SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships.

"Our government is investing in the people and ideas that will produce tomorrow's breakthroughs in order to keep Canada's economy growing," said Minister of State Goodyear. "This investment will give researchers the tools they need to develop their ideas and bring benefits to Canadians."

The research funding announced today directly supports the priorities of Canadians, including the social and economic success of communities; food security; the environment; education, First Nations, women's and youth issues; digital media including online counseling services; as well as innovation, leadership and prosperity in Canada.

"Research and research training in the social sciences and humanities play a central role in Canadian innovation," said SSHRC President Chad Gaffield. "Understanding human thought and behaviour is key to improving our quality of life and prosperity. The social sciences and humanities build knowledge based on the past and the present, with a view toward creating a better future. The investments in these research projects will generate understanding of the political, social, cultural and economic issues that are vital to our development."

Through its Talent program, SSHRC funds Canada's best and brightest researchers in the humanities and social sciences. Master's, doctoral and postdoctoral scholarships and fellowships are awarded to Canada's most promising graduate students and to gifted postdoctoral scholars who are embarking on their research careers. By supporting Canadian talent and also attracting the best scholars to Canadian universities, SSHRC helps train and educate the leaders and innovators of tomorrow.

Some of the research funded will examine:

• how digital stories cultivate community citizenship and media literacy in Montreal's urban youth (Laurel Hart, Concordia University);
• the relationship between economic security and health for Canadians (Barry Watson, Dalhousie University);
• the capacity for organizational change within complex transformation (Kevin Johnson, HEC Montréal);
• South Asian visible minority immigrants in Toronto (Tariqul Islam, Laurentian University);
• a comparison of shifting approaches to pension policy reform (Andrea Lawlor, McGill University);
• women, food security, and modern Inuit subsistence (Magalie Quintal-Marineau, McGill University);
• how organizational authenticity in implementing work-family policies affects employees' work-family conflict (Mona Zanhour, McMaster University);
• organizational change in Canada's banking industry (William Silver, University of Alberta);
• assessing immigrant experiences of becoming Canadian and having a sense of belonging (Molly Kraft, The University of British Columbia);
• the well-being and adjustment of recent immigrant and refugee youth, and the impact of social support and interethnic friendships in school (Lina Darwich, The University of British Columbia);
• building community capacity in Nunavik through greenhouse food production (Ellen Avard, Université Laval);
• museum fieldwork and community-based history education (Cynthia D. Wallace-Casey, University of New Brunswick);
• classroom management strategies for students with autism (Olivia Ng, University of Toronto);
• cyber bullying and the perspectives of youth and parents (Jami-Leigh Sawyer, University of Toronto);
• women in combat and Canada's mission in Afghanistan (Maya Eichler, University of Toronto);
• cultural patterns of storytelling within Coast Salish communities on Vancouver Island through a First Nations cultural education program (James Allen, University of Victoria); and
• adolescent experiences of confidential internet and telephone support at Kids Help Phone and Crime Stoppers (Dilys Haner, York University).

See all competition results on the SSHRC website.

SSHRC is the federal agency that promotes and supports university-based research and training in the humanities and social sciences. Through its three funding programs—Talent, Insight and Connection—SSHRC enables the highest levels of research excellence in Canada and facilitates knowledge-sharing and collaboration across research disciplines, universities and all sectors of society.

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