An impressive new cohort of outstanding scholars has joined A&S from distinguished institutions around the world. Together they represent excellence across the humanities, sciences and social sciences, and demonstrate the depth and breadth of scholarship within the Faculty.
“As both dean and a fellow colleague, I am delighted to welcome so many talented and engaged new scholars to our community and to the University,” said Melanie Woodin, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science. “They will make great contributions to our research mission and will inspire their students with the fascinating range of expertise and experience they bring.”
The new faculty members include a cosmologist who is also an ordained Jesuit priest, a linguist who is a native speaker of Q’anjob’al, a Mayan language of Guatemala, and an historian of the Canadian Black experience.
Their research has taken them from the historical intersections of science, technology and modern culture, to the philosophy within the Sanskrit cosmopolis, to new ways computers can learn and use human language.
They are also at the forefront of the next generation of electronics that can autonomously respond to, and seamlessly integrate into, our bodies. And they are searching beyond the corporeal for dark matter — a mysterious and invisible substance that could account for more than a quarter of the energy in the universe.
Through the impact of their work, Arts & Science will continue to pursue new cutting-edge research and seek new ways to push beyond the boundaries of human knowledge and experience.
“In A&S we endeavour to engage many perspectives,” said Alexie Tcheuyap, vice-dean, faculty, academic life & equity. “Actively celebrating new scholars when they arrive at U of T is important to build community in A&S and to connect our new colleagues with their new academic home, especially now as many of us are teaching and studying remotely.”
Profiles of many of the new faculty members were published with this story to introduce them and their specialties to the wider A&S community.