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

Cary Wu
Department of Sociology
Earlier this year, Professor Wu received $176,256 from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to fund a two-year research project studying issues of trust and how it hampers COVID-19 prevention / control measures.

Aaida Mamuji
School of Administrative Studies
In March 2020, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) announced $499,121 of funding to support a research project led by Professor Mamuji which will examine how Chinese diaspora communities in globalized urban centres are coping with COVID-19.

Megan Davies
Department of Social Science
Professor Davies' work has been instrumental in the launch of History in Practice: a resource that uses data from a seven-year Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)-funded project to support instructors in connecting mental health to their teaching.
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.
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 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.