Munk School of Global Affairs &amp; Public Policy

SSHRC

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Lynette Ong (supplied image)

Lynette Ong, a professor in the Faculty of Arts & Science’s department of political science and the Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, has received the 2024 Insight Award from the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

One of SSHRC’s annual Impact Awards, the Insight Award recognizes scholars whose work has made a significant contribution to knowledge and understanding about people, societies and the world.

A renowned scholar of authoritarianism, contentious politics and development in China, Ong has conducted on-the-ground research in the country since the late 1990s. She says she’s pleasantly surprised at winning the Insight Award.

“I’d like to thank the people who have helped me along the way,” says Ong, a faculty fellow at the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology & Society and acting director of the Munk School’s Contemporary Asian Studies program. “As an inherently private person, I need to adjust to this public recognition. I just hope I can pay it forward and mentor other young researchers.”

“Lynette’s courageous research has taken her to areas that many would hesitate to explore,” says Antoinette Handley, acting dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science and professor of political science. “Her scholarship has provided valuable perspectives and ongoing insights into the workings of political repression in China. It is my pleasure to congratulate her on this significant recognition from SSHRC.”

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Michael Baker, Derek Messacar and Mark Stabile win Doug Purvis Memorial Prize

rahul.kalvapalle — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 19:55:21 +0000

Michael Baker, Derek Messacar and Mark Stabile win Doug Purvis Memorial Prize

rahul.kalvapalle Tue, 07/16/2024 - 15:55

Department of Economics

Rotman School of Management

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(L-R) Derek Messacar, Michael Baker and Mark Stabile (supplied images)

A research team led by Michael Baker, a professor in the department of economics in the Faculty of Arts & Science, has been awarded the Canadian Economics Association’s Doug Purvis Memorial Prize.

The annual award recognizes the authors of significant contributions to Canadian economic policy.

Baker shares the honour with Derek Messacar, doctoral alum of the department of economics and an associate professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland, and Mark Stabile, former faculty member at the Rotman School of Management and the founding director of what would become the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, who currently serves as a professor and dean of degree programmes and the Europe campus at INSEAD, a business school based in Fontainebleau, France.

The trio was recognized for their paper "Effects of Child Tax Benefits on Poverty and Labor Supply: Evidence from the Canada Child Benefit and Universal Child Care Benefit," which was published in the Journal of Labor Economics.

Baker said he was “honoured” by the recognition. “I knew Doug Purvis briefly at the start of my career and have learned what a positive contribution he made to the economics profession in Canada,” he said. “It is also a pleasure to share this award with a former colleague here at the department and a graduate of our PhD program. I have worked on many projects with both Mark and Derek over the years.”

“It’s gratifying for our department to see Michael, Mark and Derek recognized for their investigations into child poverty alleviation programs,” said Professor Ettore Damiano, chair of the department of economics. “It is very important work, and I am pleased to congratulate all the members of Michael’s team for this award.”

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Lynette Ong recognized with multiple awards for latest book

lanthierj — Fri, 22 Sep 2023 17:32:58 +0000

Lynette Ong recognized with multiple awards for latest book

lanthierj Fri, 09/22/2023 - 13:32

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Lynette Ong (supplied image)

A book by Lynette Ong that examines China’s inner workings has won the American Sociological Association (ASA)’s Gordon Hirabayashi Human Rights Book Award 2023 and has been named co-winner of the ASA’s Distinguished Contribution to Scholarship in Political Sociology, 2023.

They're the latest in a series of honours for Ong, who received the International Studies Association’s 2023 Human Rights Section Best Book Award earlier this year as well as the 2023 American Political Science Association’s Human Rights Best Book Award.

A professor in the Faculty of Arts & Science’s department of political science with a cross-appointment to the Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, Ong has been conducting research on the ground in China since the 1990s, with a particular interest in how the country’s political and economic systems interact. Outsourcing Repression: Everyday State Power in Contemporary China is her third book. Published by Oxford University Press, it examines the use of non-state actors, including paid and unpaid community members and gangsters, to drive urbanization across the country by engaging in low-level violent and non-violent tactics.

Ong says she is in awe of the ordinary citizens who allowed her into their lives while she was researching the book.

“I learned so much about why people would throw away everything they have to protest an authoritarian regime. I spent a lot of time with them, and I felt I had to get their story right,” she says. “I spent 20 years in school trying to understand how social movements work, but they just intuitively get it. My admiration for them is genuine.”

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Sarah Beamish and Christine Wadsworth receive Precedent Setter Award

siddiq22 — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 19:37:06 +0000

Sarah Beamish and Christine Wadsworth receive Precedent Setter Award

Community

siddiq22 Mon, 07/10/2023 - 15:37

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Sarah Beamish and Christine Wadsworth (supplied images)

Sarah Beamish and Christine Wadsworth, alumnae of the ��Ƶ’s Faculty of Law, have each received the Precedent Setter Award.

Created by Toronto’s Precedent magazine, the award recognizes lawyers in their first 10 years of practice who have demonstrated excellence and leadership.

Beamish, who graduated in 2015 from U of T’s joint juris doctor (JD) and master of global affairs (MGA) program in the Faculty of Law and Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, is the principal of Beamish Law, a wide-ranging civil-ligation practice with a special interest in advocacy, equity and justice.

Beamish, who was previously named the youngest-ever chair of Amnesty International, also lectures in the MGA program at the Munk School.

“As a lawyer, you have this form of knowledge and power and access that’s unlike anything else,” she told Precedent. “I can’t squander that.”

Wadsworth, who graduated from the JD program in 2013, is a litigation partner at McCarthy Tétrault LLP in Toronto. The magazine named her a “Bay Street superstar” for her defense work in high-stakes litigation.

Wadsworth has also taught trial advocacy at U of T and co-directs her firm’s partnership with the faculty's community legal clinic and clinical legal education program, Downtown Legal Services, providing pro bono legal counsel to low-income individuals facing criminal charges.

“Access to justice, especially in criminal-justice cases, is a continuing problem,” she told Precedent. “My first pro bono client had a number of criminal charges hanging over his head. When I successfully got them dropped, it had a powerful impact on me.”

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Five Faculty of Arts & Science professors recognized with Dean's Research Excellence Awards

lanthierj — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 22:25:43 +0000

Five Faculty of Arts & Science professors recognized with Dean's Research Excellence Awards

lanthierj Mon, 12/12/2022 - 17:25

Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Department of Psychology

Department of Linguistics

Department of Physics

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The five recipients of this year’s Dean’s Research Excellence Award (L-R): Megan Frederickson, Kaley Walker, Naomi Nagy, Randall Hansen and Wil Cunningham

Wil Cunningham, Megan Frederickson, Randall Hansen, Naomi Nagy and Kaley Walker are the first recipients of a new award from the Faculty of Arts & Science created to recognize faculty members whose research achievements have been cited as especially noteworthy.

The Dean’s Research Excellence Award was established with the aim of helping accomplished mid-career researchers compete successfully in national awards competitions. Winners have contributed a wealth of research that has had a significant and sustained influence in their chosen disciplines.

The winners represent a wide range of fields: Cunningham is a professor in the department of psychology, Frederickson is a professor in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology, Hansen is a professor in the department of political science, Nagy is a professor in the department of linguistics and Walker is a professor in the department of physics.

“It is with enormous pride that I announce the inaugural winners of the Dean’s Research Excellence Awards,” says Melanie Woodin, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science. “The scholars we honour this year are widely recognized as having made an important and ongoing impact on research in their respective fields. As the very first recipients of these annual awards, they set a shining example for those who will follow them.”

The five honourees will each receive $10,000 to further their professional development.

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Dan Breznitz awarded 2021 Donner Prize

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 19:55:33 +0000

Dan Breznitz awarded 2021 Donner Prize

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 06/08/2022 - 15:55

Donner Prize

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

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Dan Breznitz (photo by Lisa Sakulensky)

University Professor Dan Breznitz has won the 2021 Donner Prize for his book, Innovation in Real Places: Strategies for Prosperity in an Unforgiving World, published by Oxford University Press.

The $50,000 prize is awarded annually by the Donner Canadian Foundation to Canadian authors who showcase excellence and innovation in public policy.

“I am truly humbled by this honour,” said Breznitz, who is the Munk Chair of Innovation Studies at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, with a cross-appointment to the department of political science in the Faculty of Arts & Science. “We have an amazing country and a thriving society – it is time we make sure Canadians can excel in Canada and make Canada excel in turn, without having to leave it.”

The Donner Prize jury called Innovation in Real Places “essential reading for anyone interested in policy, industry, science, finance, competition, and regional development.”

One of the many strengths of the book is the differentiation between invention and innovation. Breznitz focuses on diverse types of innovation and the role of governments to facilitate – and not impede – the innovation process,” said the jury, which was chaired by David Dodge, former governor of the Bank of Canada. “There is little doubt that innovation is a key driver of economic progress, and Breznitz offers a clear explanation of the range of factors at play that can help or hinder the growth of an innovation economy.”

Breznitz co-directs the Munk School’s Innovation Policy Lab and co-leads CIFAR’s program on innovation, equity and the future of prosperity. Breznitz is currently serving as the Clifford Clark Visiting Economist in the federal department of finance.

2022 Awards of Excellence recognize members of U of T community

lanthierj — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 17:28:56 +0000

2022 Awards of Excellence recognize members of U of T community

Community

lanthierj Thu, 04/07/2022 - 13:28

Department of English

Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering

Division of People Strategy

Equity & Culture

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Faculty of Dentistry

Faculty of Law

Office of the Vice-President and Provost

OISE

U of T Libraries

U of T Scarborough

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The ��Ƶ has announced the winners of the 2022 Awards of Excellence, a prestigious program presented annually in collaboration with the ��Ƶ Alumni Association to recognize outstanding faculty, librarians, staff and students.

“This year's honourees represent the incredible breadth and depth of excellence found across our three campuses,” President Meric Gertler said in his address to the winners. “They are being recognized for their dedication to others and to our collective success, as well as for their own outstanding accomplishments.

“To our award winners, you are all doing great work. You make us proud and your example is an inspiration to all of us.”

This year’s winners are:

Faculty

Vivek Goel Faculty Citizenship Award

Professor Glen A. Jones, department of leadership, adult and higher education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Educations and Professor Robert M. Wright, John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design

Ludwik and Estelle Jus Memorial Human Rights Prize – Influential Leader

Professor Andrea Most, department of English, Faculty of Arts & Science and Professor Ann Lopez, department of leadership, adult and higher education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

Carolyn Tuohy Impact on Public Policy Award

Professor Adalsteinn Brown, dean of Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Northrop Frye Faculty Award

Associate Professor Adam Hammond, department of English, Faculty of Arts & Science

Joan E. Foley Quality of Student Experience Award

Associate Professor Matthew Mackay, department of mechanical and industrial engineering, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Librarians

President’s Excellence Award – Influential Excellence

Fabiano Takashi Rocha, metadata services, U of T Libraries

Staff

Jill Matus Excellence in Student Services Award

Shainiya Balachandran, Office of the Dean of Students, Victoria University, and Atifa F. Karim, Division of Student Life, St. George campus

Chancellor’s Leadership Award – Emerging Leader

Cherilyn Nobleza, Division of People Strategy, Equity & Culture

Chancellor’s Leadership Award – Distinguished Leader

Ariana Bradford, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy

Chancellor’s Leadership Award – Influential Leader

Derek Newton, Innovations & Partnerships Office

President’s Excellence Award – Emerging Excellence

Natasha Christie-Holmes, Emerging and Pandemic Infections Consortium, Ayoob Ghalami, Office of Environmental Health & Safety and Steffen Reinhart, Office of Student Recruitment

President’s Excellence Award – Distinguished Excellence

Mary Choi, Faculty of Dentistry, Daniella Mallinick, Office of the Vice-Provost, Academic Programs and Kim McLean, Faculty of Arts & Science

President’s Excellence Award – Influential Excellence

Pierre Piché, department of financial services

Students

Ludwik and Estelle Jus Memorial Human Rights Prize – Emerging Leader

Brenaven Kugamoorthy, Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Adel S. Sedra Distinguished Graduate Award

Florence Ashley, Joint Centre for Bioethics, Faculty of Law and Dalla Lana School of Public Health

John H. Moss Scholarship

Katherine Todd, U of T Scarborough

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Ron Levi recognized with Global Educator Award

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 14:15:29 +0000

Ron Levi recognized with Global Educator Award

Teaching

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 03/18/2022 - 10:15

Global Educator Award

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(photo by Alexis MacDonald)

Ron Levi, a professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy and in the department of sociology in the Faculty of Arts & Science, has received the ��Ƶ Global Educator Award for 2022.

The award recognizes faculty members who embody U of T’s global mission and whose approach to teaching demonstrates intercultural or global fluency – the ability to successfully operate and communicate within different cultural contexts.

“Professor Levi’s clear commitment to pedagogies that reflect a diversity of perspectives and invite engagement from all students is impressive – and creates the conditions necessary for a truly global learning environment,” says Alexie Tcheuyap, associate vice-president and vice-provost, international student experience, and chair of this year's selection committee.

“I would like to personally thank him for his dedication to equipping U of T students with the values and cultural agility they will need to effect positive change in the world.”

Levi will be honoured at the university's annual Excellence in Teaching Reception in the fall.

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Dan Breznitz appointed University Professor

lanthierj — Fri, 18 Jun 2021 17:56:04 +0000

Dan Breznitz appointed University Professor

lanthierj Fri, 06/18/2021 - 13:56

CIFAR

University Professor

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Dan Breznitz has been appointed a University Professor, an elite designation bestowed on a small number of ��Ƶ faculty members for distinguished scholarly achievement and pre-eminence in their fields.

A professor of political economy at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, with a cross-appointment in the department of political science within the Faculty of Arts & Science, Breznitz is also a Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research where he has co-founded and co-directs the program on innovation, equity and the future of prosperity.

“Dan Breznitz is a world-leading expert on rapid-innovation-based industries and their globalization, renowned for his pioneering research on the distributional impact of innovation policies – and the insights he has provided to governments and international organizations on science, technology and innovation policies,” said Vice-President and Provost Cheryl Regehr.

An award-winning author, Breznitz’s first book, Innovation and the State: Political Choice and Strategies for Growth in Israel, Taiwan, and Ireland, won the 2008 Don K. Price for best book on science and technology. His second book (co-authored with Michael Murphree) The Run of the Red Queen: Government, Innovation, Globalization, and Economic Growth in China, was chosen as the 2012 Susan Strange Best Book in International Studies by the British International Studies Association. His most recent book, Innovation in Real Places: Strategies for Prosperity in an Unforgiving World, was published by Oxford University Press earlier this year.

“This is a great honor to become a part of a group of scholars I viewed as mentors all my life,” Breznitz said. “I am especially delighted by the fact that my work on the distributional outcomes of innovation and the public policy choices to impact that distribution, has been recognized as an exciting new area of research that the ��Ƶ is pioneering.”

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Jillian Sprenger awarded Gates Cambridge Scholarship

lanthierj — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 15:18:41 +0000

Jillian Sprenger awarded Gates Cambridge Scholarship

Academic Achievement

lanthierj Mon, 04/19/2021 - 11:18

Gates Cambridge Scholarship

Graduate Students