Research is one of our top strengths.
LA&PS is the proud home of internationally recognized researchers. Our Faculty’s strength lies in the diversity and range of our researchers’ expertise, specifically in the interdisciplinary social sciences, liberal arts, humanities and professional studies. The Faculty’s commitment to research excellence is reinforced by the continued success of our faculty members in external research funding competitions, and respected national – as well as international – awards and recognitions.
Our faculty are thought leaders undertaking ground-breaking research around the most relevant issues facing humanity today – COVID-19, anti-Black racism, Indigenous research, and Disaster & Emergency Management – with an international focus. Researchers in LA&PS work within and across the University, and with colleagues in more than 80 countries around the world to examine and discover, critique and create.
LA&PS Research at a Glance
Over $8 million
In total research funding (2019-20)
Over $3.5 million
In SSHRC funding (2019-20)
Over $1 million
In CIHR funding (2019-20)
$600,000+
In NSERC funding (2019-20)
60+
Awarded research projects in 2019-20 academic year
5
Canada Research Chairs
23
Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada
650+
Full-time faculty
Our Experts in the Media
Low-income seniors say they've been ignored this election
A national strategy which addresses provincial, territorial and municipal infrastructures as basic as affordable housing and accessible public transit is needed to better support Canada’s older population, suggests Professor Pat Armstrong, a leading expert in long-term care.
Federal election 2021: More supply won’t solve Canada’s housing affordability crisis
Promises to build more homes is not a meaningful solution to Canada’s housing affordability crisis, notes Joel Roberts Social & Political Thought PhD candidate: "High house prices are not due to supply shortages."
Ugly Anti-Masker Protests Plague Canadian Election
It’s unsurprising that the anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown protesters are targeting Justin Trudeau’s events, notes Professor Cary Wu, as political ideology is the single best predictor of pandemic behaviours, such as mask wearing.
Jagmeet Singh says ending for-profit long-term care will be ‘less costly.’ Why it’s not necessarily that simple
While government funding helps non-profit operators build capital, it doesn't necessary benefit taxpayers explains Professor Pat Armstrong: “We are paying for a building that then they own in the end.”
Distinguished Researchers
Our faculty members are especially well-known for their impressive array of scholarly outputs, which have influenced public policy and debate, enriched society and culture, inspired awe – and utterly transformed ways of thinking. Touching on many areas of study within the liberal arts and professional fields, our researchers can draw from their diversity of scholarship, extensive network and research centres to produce work that hits on the most relevant issues of the day.
Here are some of our faculty who have won accolades for their high-calibre research.
Order of Canada
Presented by the Governor General or reigning monarch, the second-highest honour one can be given in Canada awards people who have made extraordinary contributions to the country and enriched the lives of others.
Hédi Bouraoui, Department of French Studies
Professor Bouraoui was formally invested as a member of the Order of Canada during a ceremony at Rideau Hall in 2019, receiving recognition for his tremendous body of work and tireless advocacy for French-language literature. He is the former Chair of French Studies, and has authored 20 books of poetry, 15 novels, and several volumes of literary criticism throughout his career.
Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada
Selected by their peers as representing the best in their fields, these Canadian scholars, artists and scientists are recognized as leaders who have had a remarkable impact on the arts, humanities and sciences.
Royal Society of Canada's College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists
To recognize the exceptional achievements of emerging scholars, artists and scientists, the Royal Society elects those to its college who have begun demonstrating this excellence within 15 years of having completed their post-doctoral program or its equivalent.
Canada Research Chairs
Attracting and retaining some of the world’s most accomplished and promising minds, this program bestows this title and award on deserving Canadian university research professors who pursue knowledge and research excellence.
Trudeau Fellows
Acting as exceptional public educators, professors and intellectual guides, these esteemed individuals empower doctoral scholars in the area of the sciences to become the engaged leaders of the future.
Guggenheim Fellowship
Supporting exceptional creativity in the arts, these awards are given to scholars who have demonstrated outstanding ability. Applicants undergo a rigorous selection process, screened by experts in their own fields and former Guggenheim Fellows.
Killam Research Fellowships
Awarded by the Canada Council for the Arts, Killam Fellowships support outstanding scholars in conducting two years of groundbreaking research in the humanities, social and natural sciences, engineering and health sciences.
SSHRC Impact Awards
The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, or SSHRC, presents these awards in order to outstanding researchers in order to celebrate their achievements, training, and outreach activities, recognizing the role post-secondary institutions play in promoting research knowledge.
York President's Research Excellence Awards
These awards celebrate established full-time faculty members who are select in their fields, and have made significant contributions to both advancing York University’s international reputation for research excellence and its community’s intellectual life.
York Distinguished Research Professors
Demonstrating scholarly achievements, these individuals are recognized for their excellence in research, extensive publication and continuing contributions to their field. Recipients have an international reputation in their area of study.
York Research Chairs
Building on the world-renowned research being done at York University, these competitive appointments support and recognize excellence in research and scholarship in all areas and disciplines, as well as research leadership.
LA&PS Postdoctoral Fellows
The Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) has introduced an inaugural postdoctoral fellowship program. Fellows receive a funded, one-year postdoctoral research position to conduct their proposed research project under the guidance of a faculty supervisor.
With the support of the Dean’s Office and LA&PS Research Office, these fellowships give researchers the opportunity to further pursue their academic interests with experts in the field and enhance the outstanding research being done in LA&PS.
LA&PS Research Awards
These awards recognize Liberal Arts & Professional Studies faculty members’ excellent research and the impact that work has on academic and social communities, as well as their commitment to engaging York University students.