Department of History

Clockwise from top left: Professor Gillian Hadfield, Professor M. Murphy, University Professor David Jenkins, Professor Alán Aspuru-Guzik and Associate Professor Yvonne Bombard

Five ��Ƶ researchers have received President’s Impact Awards for their important work in AI governance, environmental justice, genomics policy, nutritional sciences and quantum computing.

The awards celebrate and honour faculty members whose research has led to a significant impact beyond academia. Laureates are designated as members of the President’s Impact Academy, and receive a monetary award of $10,000 per year for five years to be used toward their research.

“I would like to congratulate the winners of this year’s President’s Impact Awards for their outstanding work in tackling some of the biggest challenges of our time,” said Barbara Fallon, U of T's associate vice-president, research.

“From informing and improving dietary choices to fostering greater alignment between environmental justice and Indigenous communities, these scholars are generating knowledge and ideas that stand to have a tremendous impact beyond academia.

“Their exceptional contributions speak to the important role that U of T researchers play in improving lives in Canada and around the world.”

This year’s winners are:

Gillian Hadfield, professor in the Faculty of Law and Rotman School of Management, “for contributions impacting access to justice, innovative design for legal and dispute resolution systems in advanced and developing market economies, and governance for artificial intelligence.”

M. Murphy, professor in the Women & Gender Studies Institute and department of history in the Faculty of Arts & Science, “for contributions that consistently move environmental justice research along a collaborative trajectory with Indigenous communities, data practices, and policy-making.”

Yvonne Bombard, scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto and associate professor in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, “for her significant contributions in enacting national law against genetic discrimination, improving healthcare options for Canadians, and advancing clinical practice and genomics research.”

Alán Aspuru-Guzik, professor in the department of chemistry and department of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science, “for his pioneering work in the fields of artificial intelligence and quantum computing for materials discovery.”

David Jenkins, University Professor in the department of nutritional sciences at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, “for his studies on the health effects of food that have changed how the world makes healthy dietary choices.”

Nhung Tuyet Tran honoured with Rome Prize

siddiq22 — Thu, 18 May 2023 16:31:23 +0000

Nhung Tuyet Tran honoured with Rome Prize

Research & Innovation

siddiq22 Thu, 05/18/2023 - 12:31

Faculty

St. George

Department of History

Faculty of Arts & Science

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(supplied image)

Nhung Tuyet Tran is among the latest winners of the highly prestigious Rome Prize granted by the American Academy in Rome (AAR).

An associate professor in the Faculty of Arts & Science’s department of history at the ��Ƶ, Tran won the Anthony M. Clark Rome Prize in the Renaissance and Early Modern Studies category.

Supporting advanced independent work and research in the arts and humanities, Rome Prize winners each receive a stipend, workspace, and room and board at the academy’s eleven-acre campus on the Janiculum Hill in Rome, starting in September 2023.

“I’m thrilled to be able to spend the year in a setting ideal for writing and the exchange of ideas,” says Tran, whose research interests lie at the intersection of gender, law and religious practice in early modern Southeast Asia.

She intends to use her Rome Prize to write a monograph exploring how a crisis of confession in the early modern Vietnamese Catholic community changed the priorities of the global church for centuries.

The 11 disciplines supported by the AAR are ancient studies, architecture, design, historic preservation and conservation, landscape architecture, literature, medieval studies, modern Italian studies, music composition, Renaissance and early modern studies, and visual arts.

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Elise Burton wins prestigious Dan David Prize in history

lanthierj — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 13:57:11 +0000

Elise Burton wins prestigious Dan David Prize in history

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Wed, 03/01/2023 - 08:57

Faculty

St. George

Dan David Prize

Faculty of Arts & Science

Department of History

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Elise Burton (supplied photo)

Elise Burton, an historian of science, race and nationalism in the modern Middle East, has been named one of the 2023 winners of the prestigious Dan David Prize – the world’s largest history award.

Endowed by the Dan David Foundation and headquartered at Tel Aviv University, the prize celebrates the next generation of outstanding historians, archaeologists, curators and digital humanists. Each year, up to nine researchers are awarded $300,000 (USD) each in recognition of their achievements and to support their future endeavors.

“Our winners represent the next generation of historians,” says prize board member Ariel David, son of the award’s founder. “They are changing our understanding of the past by asking new questions, targeting under-researched topics and using innovative methods.”

Burton, an assistant professor with the Faculty of Arts & Science’s Institute for the History & Philosophy of Science & Technology, joins winners from across the globe working in Kenya, Ireland, Denmark, Israel and the United States.

“I was truly caught off guard,” Burton says. “The recognition is meaningful because I have pursued somewhat unconventional and methodologically risky work trying to bridge two disciplinary fields: Middle Eastern history and the history of science.”

Burton’s research focuses on developments in genetics, evolutionary biology, physical anthropology and medicine in the Middle East during the 20th and 21st centuries. From this work, her first book, Genetic Crossroads: The Middle East and the Science of Human Heredity, was published in early 2021.

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Margaret MacMillan appointed to the Order of Merit

lanthierj — Wed, 07 Dec 2022 18:12:50 +0000

Margaret MacMillan appointed to the Order of Merit

Research & Innovation

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lanthierj Wed, 12/07/2022 - 13:12

Faculty

St. George

Order of Merit

Department of History

Faculty of Arts & Science

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(photo by Terrence McEachern)

Margaret MacMillan, a ��Ƶ professor emeritus with the department of history in the Faculty of Arts & Science has been appointed to the Order of Merit.

MacMillan, also a professor emeritus at the University of Oxford, is among six new appointments to the Commonwealth institution, which is often referred to as “the most exclusive club in the world.”

Created in 1902 by King Edward VII, the Order of Merit honours leaders in the arts, literature, sciences, culture and military. Limited to 24 members, the latest recipients of the order were chosen by Queen Elizabeth shortly before her death in September and presented by King Charles.

“When I looked up who had already had it, I was stunned,” MacMillan says. “Imagine joining a list of past members that included Florence Nightingale, Henry James, Edward Elgar, Winston Churchill and William Lyon Mackenzie King – or the present ones such as David Hockney and Jean Chrétien.”

Faculty of Arts & Science Dean Melanie Woodin congratulated MacMillan, who received the award in November at Buckingham Palace, on her historic achievement.

“To be chosen and recognized by the late Queen for her contributions to research and teaching is nothing short of remarkable,” Woodin says. “It’s a fitting tribute to a world-renowned scholar who has given U of T so much.”

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Lynne Viola recognized with Gold Medal from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council

lanthierj — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 21:50:07 +0000

Lynne Viola recognized with Gold Medal from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Tue, 11/30/2021 - 16:50

Faculty

St. George

Department of History

SSHRC

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The ��Ƶ's Lynne Viola has been honoured with the Gold Medal from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

Viola, a University Professor in the Faculty of Arts & Science's history department, is a leading scholar of Soviet history and recognized around the world for her archival research into the Stalinist era, focusing on the Soviet dictator’s mass repression of its people in the 1930s.

“I was very surprised and humbled,” says Viola of winning SSHRC’s highest research honour among its annual Impact Awards.

With this most recent achievement, Viola has completed a rare hat trick in Canada’s highest academic honours.

“This is a remarkable accomplishment,” says Melanie Woodin, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science. “Lynne is only the fifth scholar to win the Molson Prize, the Killam Prize, and now the SSHRC Gold Medal – our three top national humanities and social sciences awards. These honours are a tribute to her passion and fearlessness in sharing knowledge about Stalinist Russia that continues to benefit students and scholars at U of T, as well as around the world.”

Leah Cowen, U of T’s associate vice-president, research, hailed Viola for enriching the landscape of Russian history and providing a springboard for younger researchers.

“Professor Viola’s tireless work over the decades has helped ensure that the real-life impacts of atrocities are not buried away, and that the truths and nuances of these tragic chapters are preserved in the pages of history,” Cowen said. “A passionate teacher and mentor, she has generously passed on her specialized knowledge to countless students and graduate researchers, and given the next generation of historians the foundations upon which to flourish.”

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James Retallack named University Professor

lanthierj — Mon, 09 Mar 2020 22:12:35 +0000

James Retallack named University Professor

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Mon, 03/09/2020 - 18:12

Faculty

St. George

University Professor

Department of History

Faculty of Arts & Science

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(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Historian James Retallack, who has been described as “one of the most profound scholars of Imperial Germany writing in either English or German” has been named a University Professor.

The author of many award-winning books and publications based on decades of archival research, Professor Retallack was one of the first non-German scholars to discover the riches of the Saxon State Archive in Dresden, formerly behind the Iron Curtain.

“Professor Retallack’s research is central to any understanding of German history and speaks to present-day developments on how and when and to what degree political systems are able to democratize under the influence of authoritarian movements, institutions and leaders,” said Vice-President and Provost Cheryl Regher.

Retallack has been awarded a Killam Research Fellowship; a John Simon Guggenheim Research Fellowship; and a SSHRC Insight Grant, which supports his current research on German Social Democratic leader August Bebel.

“I’ve always been aware of the mentors that I’ve had, the colleagues that I’ve had and the students who continue to inspire me – undergraduates almost as much as graduates – in my own writing and research,” said Retallack. “I’m very grateful for that.

“I’m very grateful to be a part of U of T now for 33 years.”

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Five U of T professors receive elite University Professor designation

lanthierj — Mon, 09 Mar 2020 15:53:42 +0000

Five U of T professors receive elite University Professor designation

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Mon, 03/09/2020 - 11:53

Faculty

St. George

University Professor

Department of History

Faculty of Arts & Science

Rotman School of Management

Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Department of Medicine

Faculty of Medicine

Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry

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Chancellor Rose Patten, Professor Anita McGahan, President Meric Gertler, Professor Prabhat Jha, Dr. Frances Shepherd, Vice-President and Provost Cheryl Regehr and Professor James Retallack (front) Absent: Elizabeth Edwards (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Five ��Ƶ professors were recognized last week as University Professors, an elite designation bestowed on a small number of U of T faculty members for their distinguished scholarly achievement and pre-eminence in their fields.

Elizabeth Edwards, Prabhat Jha, Anita McGahan, James Retallack and Frances Shepherd were honoured at a reception attended by President Meric Gertler, Vice-President and Provost Cheryl Regher and Chancellor Rose Patten.

The new University Professors are global leaders who’ve had a profound impact on their fields and on society more broadly, President Gertler said.

The five professors have, among them, earned two Rhodes Scholarships, three Royal Society of Canada fellowships, two Order of Canada appointments, two Canada Research Chairs, a Killam Prize, a Guggenheim fellowship and an Academy of Management fellowship.

“They have advanced influential new ideas, new methodologies and new technologies,” President Gertler said. “They’ve challenged established paradigms and defined entirely new areas of study – and they’ve changed the way that we understand key challenges, both historical and contemporary.

“Between them, they’ve offered fresh insights into age-old questions concerning society and government; they’ve brought fundamental discoveries to market; and they’ve pioneered innovative approaches to pressing challenges in global health, cancer care and the environment.”

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Department of History

Five researchers recognized with 2024 President’s Impact Awards

Read more about the President's Impact Academy

Nhung Tuyet Tran honoured with Rome Prize

Read the Faculty of Arts & Science story

Elise Burton wins prestigious Dan David Prize in history

Read the Faculty of Arts & Science story

Margaret MacMillan appointed to the Order of Merit

Read the Faculty of Arts & Science story

Lynne Viola recognized with Gold Medal from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council

Read the Faculty of Arts & Science story

Read the U of T News story

James Retallack named University Professor

Five U of T professors receive elite University Professor designation