This year, our Tri-Agency core program outcomes exceeded Faculty expectations, with the largest number of total awarded funding from the SSHRC Insight Program to date. In the Fall 2025 SSHRC Insight Grant competition, LA&PS secured 20 awards and nearly $4M in funding. LA&PS also achieved a 75% success rate in the SSHRC Partnership Development Grant program, securing just under $600,000.

We continued to advance and strengthen our research portfolio this year, diversifying our engagement beyond Tri-Agency funders with more than 100 non-Tri-Agency submissions and nearly $2M in new funding. In core Tri-Agency grants, the Faculty's activity continued to grow, with more than 100 submissions this year (18% YoY growth).

Six professors from the School of Information Technology received funding from the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) as part of an overall $12.1 million investment supporting science and engineering research at York. The funding supports projects led by 57 different researchers from faculties and schools across the University. These projects span a range of topics, including AI, machine learning, engineering and the natural sciences.

Congratulations to the following professors and their projects from the School of Information Technology receiving grants: Zhenhao Li, for the project “Towards Intelligent Automation in DevOps: Enhancing Collaboration, Observability, and Reliability” ($36,000 annually for five years: Discovery Grants program) and “Towards Intelligent Automation in DevOps: Enhancing Collaboration, Observability, and Reliability” ($12,500 over one year: Discovery Launch Supplements program); Sotirios Liaskos, for the project “Supporting Evidence-based Evaluation of Conceptual Modeling Languages” ($37,000 annually for five years: Discovery Grants program); Marin Litoiu, for the project “Engineering Adaptive Generative AI Systems” ($55,000 annually for five years: Discovery Grants program); Xuan Luo, for the projects “Fair and Efficient Data Valuation in Data Markets” ($36,000 annually for five years: Discovery Grants program) and “Fair and Efficient Data Valuation in Data Markets” ($12,500 over one year: Discovery Launch Supplements program); Md Enamul Hoque Prince, for the project “Human-AI Interactions for Democratizing Visual Analytics” ($37,000 annually for five years: Discovery Grants program); and Liang Xue, for the projects “Privacy-preserving Artificial Intelligence for User-centric Data Protection in Next-generation Networks” ($38,000 annually for five years: Discovery Grants program) and “Privacy-preserving Artificial Intelligence for User-centric Data Protection in Next-generation Networks” ($12,500 over one year: Discovery Launch Supplements program).

Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) has awarded $1.7 million in federal funding to York University researchers as part of the Insight Development Grants program. The program will provide funding for projects lasting up to two years, supporting a broad range of topics and disciplines as researchers investigate key societal challenges. A number of applicants from LA&PS received funding for their projects, including: Gemechu Abeshu, Department of Sociology, for the project “Exploring the Lived Experiences of Refugees Resettled in Canada through the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot ” ($62,498); Kelly Bergstrom, Department of Communication & Media Studies, for the project “Context Collisions and Critical Events: Investigating the True Crime Convention Circuit” ($73,181); Sheetala Bhat, Department of English for the project “Long-distance Gods: Hindu Nationalism and the South Asian Diasporas in Canada” ($65,433 ); Sarah Blake, Department of Humanities, for the project “Technologies of Beauty and Enslaved Practitioners in the Graeco-Roman World” ($67,215); Zeyad El Nabolsy, Department of Philosophy, for the project “Theories of Education in Nineteenth-Century African Philosophy” ($46,414 ); Denielle Elliott, Department of Anthropology, Department of Social Science, for the project “Cinematic Minds: Exploring brain injuries through science fiction horror film” ($74,995); Ida Ferrara, Department of Economics, for the project “Advancing Gender Diversity in Leadership Positions: An Integrated Multidisciplinary Approach” ($60,720); Benjamin Kelly, Department of History, for the project “Space and Power in the Flavian Palace: 3D Digital Visualisations as Tools for Historical Research” ($69,030); Sunwoo Lee, School of Administrative Studies, for the project “Retirement Planning for Low-Income Households in Canada” ($48,547); Sudeshna Maitra, Department of Economics, for the project “More Skilled Jobs or Subsidized Education? A Micro-to-Macro Approach to Evaluate Anti-Poverty Policy in India” ($71,508); Margaret O’Brien, Department of Philosophy, for the project “Disagreement, Standing, and Politics ($43,751); Jacqueline Petropoulos, Department of English , for the project “Reanimating the Moderns: Canadian Adaptations of World Drama” ($65,820); Leila Pourtavaf, Department of History for the project “From Gulistan to Lalezar: The Urban Life and Afterlife of Slavery in Tehran” ($57,461); Nicholas Taylor, Department of Communication & Media Studies, for the project “Building Good Relations” ($56,215); Natasha Tusikov, Department of Social Science, for the project “Governance Challenges of Digital-Contraceptive Apps” ($74,918); Jun Zhao, Department of Economics, for the project “The Evaluation of Minority Preference Programs in Canada“ ($53,823); and Jelena Zikic, School of Human Resource Management , for the project “How remote workers of an extreme type cope with the ‘connectivity paradox’? From nomadic to lonely work lives” ($63,253).

LA&PS Professor Audrey Laurin-Lamonthe from the Department of Social Science, in collaboration with eight co-researchers, received funding from the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Connection Grants program. Her project secured $24,770 for a one-year initiative exploring post-capitalist solidarities and transition frameworks.

Through the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Research Fund co-funded research infrastructure, Aimi Hamraie and Manar Jammal were awarded $1,614,137 for projects focused on inclusive design and advanced AI. The funded initiatives will enhance research excellence through a disability‑centred design lab and a high‑performance AI lab for self‑healing cloud and smart city research. Jammal, associate professor in the School of Information Technology will receive $75,120 for their project, “Futuristic infrastructures for AI framework: Pioneering self-healing cloud and smart cities”. The project will look at how smart technologies can help cities operate more safely and efficiently by improving issues with transportation, crime risks and more. 

Through support from the Ontario Research Fund – Research Infrastructure program, LA&PS advanced two major research initiatives in 2025: the establishment of the Critical Lab Design, which centres disabled people as designers and makers of technology and the launch of a high‑performance AI lab focused on research in self‑healing cloud systems and smart cities. Together, these projects strengthen LA&PS research infrastructure while advancing inclusive design, AI and community‑engaged innovation.

In October 2025, the Government of Canada announced four new Canada Research Chairs (CRCs) at York. The program supports research that benefits society, the economy and the environment. Aimi Hamraie, an associate professor in the Department of Social Science, was appointed Canada Research Chair in Technology, Society and Disability (Tier 1).

In 2025, Ola Mohammed, assistant professor in the Department of Humanities, was appointed York Research Chair in Block Sonic Cultures (Tier 2) and Ian Stedman, professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration, was appointed York Research Chair in Law, Policy and Personalized Healthcare.

This year we conducted a comprehensive audit of Faculty space to identify underutilized and high-demand areas in support of research initiatives and strategic priorities. We also supported the design and space planning of approved Faculty research labs, ensuring alignment with Faculty priorities and future research needs.

Ten York professors received $700,000 in funding from the Academy of Korean Studies, an agency of the South Korea's Ministry of Education. Eight of the recipients are based in LA&PS. The funding will support “Korea in the World: Connecting Korea and Korean Diasporic Legacies,” a new research project exploring Korea and the Korean diaspora. The project is led by Associate Professor Ann Kim (Department of Sociology), with co-investigators Associate Professor Laam Hae (Department of Politics), Associate Professor Theresa Hyun (Department of Humanities), Associate Professor Mihyon Jeon (Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics), Associate Professor Janice Kim (Department of History), Professor Thomas Klassen (School of Public Policy & Administration), Associate Professor Ahrong Lee (Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics) and Professor Hyun Ok Park (Department of Sociology), all from LA&PS.

The Portuguese Canadian History Project (PCHP) secured $500,000 in funding from members of the Portuguese Canadian community and the Consulate of Portugal in Toronto, which will sustain the project over the next five years. Founded in 2008, PCHP is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, digitizing and providing access to historical materials that document the contributions of Portuguese Canadians. The project operates in partnership with the Camões Institute and York University. Gilberto Fernandes, an LA&PS researcher and director of PCHP, noted that the funding will support future events, tours and digital initiatives that expand access to Portuguese Canadian history and heritage.

We launched a new international MOU with Thrace University in Greece to explore new research collaborations in the area of Disaster and Emergency Management.

Four professors from LA&PS have been awarded funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), receiving Connection Grants and Partnership Engage Grants. Jake Pyne from the School of Social Work received $23,498 in funding for his project “No for now: Building educator capacity to simultaneously support transgender students and parent-child relationships.” The project will provide tools to educators to support transgender students and their families. Kelly Thomson and co-applicant Marcela Porporato from the School of Administrative Studies received $24,988 in funding for their project “Gender and Microinclusion in STEM Workgroups.” They will be researching gender inclusion in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) work environments, working in partnership with Santex in Argentina. Hannah Johnston from the School of Human Resource Management and Sava Saheli Singh from the Faculty of Education received $24,750 in funding for their project “Strengthening Educators' Collective Capacity to Bargain for Digital Rights.” Working with applicant Vera Khovanskaya from the University of Toronto and in partnership with the Canadian Teachers’ Federation, they will be researching how educators can advocate for digital rights in the procurement and use of educational technologies.

A total of nine researchers at York, including four from LA&PS, received over $223,000 in funding through the Black Research Seed Fund. The fund supports Black scholars focusing on Black experiences and on projects that challenge systemic barriers while redefining knowledge creation. The four LA&PS recipients are: Damilola Adebayo, assistant professor, Department of History, for the project “Taming the Niger River: The Kainji Dam and Socioeconomic Development in Twentieth-Century West Africa”; Desirée de Jesus, assistant professor, Department of Communication & Media Studies, for the project “From Archive to Imagination: Building Canada’s Future with Black Histories”; Ola Mohammed, assistant professor, Department of Humanities for the project “From the Margins to the Major: The Insurgent Archive of Black Studies at York”; and Salewa Olawoye, associate professor, Department of Social Science, for the project “Money Demystified: An Inclusive Monetary Theory.”

Desirée de Jesús, assistant professor in the Department of Communication & Media Studies, has been awarded funding for the digital media community-engaged project, “From Archive to Imagination: Building Canada’s Future with Black Histories,” through the Black Research Seed Fund.

English Professor Lily Cho won the Dorothy Killam Fellowship this year for her research, which studies the cultural importance of Chinese Canadian stories and artists in shaping our national identity.

LA&PS Disaster & Emergency Management Professor Eric Kennedy received Ontario's Early Researcher Award for a project aimed at enhancing wildfire predictive services in Ontario – an essential set of systems to protect communities from wildfire.

Professor Carmela Murdocca from the Department of Sociology was awarded The President's Research Impact Award (PRIA) for her work examining socio-legal legacies of racial injustice and incorporating reparative justice practices in law and policy.

School of Information Technology Professor Jimmy Huang, together with Professor Satinder Kaur Brar from York’s Lassonde School of Engineering, was elected a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE). This prestigious fellowship recognizes professionals whose achievements have influenced the field of engineering.

Rich Shivener, associate professor in York University’s Writing Department, was named a Mercator Fellow as part of an international research initiative studying how silence and noise influence human communication in digital and social environments.

LA&PS Advancement team secured over $450,000 in new research funding (endowed and expendable).

Vedanth Govi, a doctoral candidate at York University, has been recognized by the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) for research and advocacy advancing international student rights and community.

This year, thanks to a new Faculty endowment, we launched the Arthur F. Williams in Canadian Studies stream in the Dean's Award for Research Excellence (DARE) program, allocating $25,000 across five research projects.

More than 50 student-led projects were featured at this year’s Dean's Award for Research Excellence (DARE) public showcase, held at the Scott Library Collaboratory on Oct. 7, 2025. The event highlighted the meaningful real-world impact of undergraduate research at York. Through DARE, undergraduate students have the opportunity to participate in faculty-led research projects, gaining hands-on experience and one-on-one mentorship throughout the research process during the summer term. At the showcase, Jessica Lappin received the award for Best Poster for “The Fruit Machine: Exploring a Visual Fantasy.” Honourable mentions were awarded to Shihui Shangguan for “Revisiting Low Shapely Value Points: Are They Really Noisy?” and Mandy Tu for “Renewing Solidarity: Uncovering the History of Labour Studies at York."