Four University of Toronto doctoral students — three from the Faculty of Arts & Science — have been awarded the prestigious Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation scholarship — marking the first time the foundation has named four award winners from a single institution.
“Congratulations to our four outstanding new Trudeau Scholars,” said Professor Brian Corman, dean of U of T’s School of Graduates Studies. “It is gratifying to see the Trudeau Foundation recognize the University of Toronto’s concentration of excellent graduate students.”
A total of 14 students were named scholars this year — including Faculty of Law alumni Rebecca Sutton (who graduated last year) and Aaron Mills (who graduated in 2010). Sutton, currently completing her articles as a clerk at the Ontario Court of Appeal, plans to study “the international community’s response to armed conflict today through the new lens of law, war, and aid combined” as a doctoral student at the London School of Economics. Mills, a PhD student at the University of Victoria, is a Bear Clan Anishinaabe from Couchiching First Nation, Treaty 3 Territory, and from North Bay, Ontario, Robinson-Huron Treaty territory. A member of the board of directors of the Indigenous Bar Association, he is “examining the Anishnaabe legal tradition and how a revival of Indigenous legal orders will help Canadians to better understand Aboriginal issues.”
The scholarship — regarded as the most prestigious doctoral award for the social sciences and humanities in Canada — supports doctoral students who are committed to solving issues of critical importance to Canada and the world.
In addition to an annual grant of up to $60,000 over three years, the scholars will also benefit from the expertise of the foundation’s fellows and mentors.
The U of T students named 2014 Trudeau scholars are:
- Geoffrey Cameron (Political Science): Cameron is studying the influence of religious communities on the development of international refugee policies in North America. Before coming to U of T, Cameron conducted field work in Ghana and Nigeria to study the countries’ national human rights institutions. He also co-authored an award-winning book on migration, which was named by The Economist as one of the best books in politics and current affairs in 2011. “I think the main purpose of research is to generate knowledge and help us to understand our society, so that we can work more effectively to improve it,” he said.
- Joanna Langille (Law): Langille is examining the legitimacy of courts of law applying foreign private law in contractual and property disputes, as well as family-law matters that are related to multiple jurisdictions. Langille is a lawyer and a scholar of international law and legal theory. During the 2013-2014 academic year, she was a visiting researcher at Yale Law School and a Global Justice Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs. Next fall, she will be a Furman Academic Fellow at New York University’s School of Law.
- Nathan Lemphers (Comparative Politics): Lemphers is seeking to apply to Canada Norway’s experience of decreasing its domestic carbon emissions while continuing fossil fuel extraction. Prior to his doctoral studies at U of T, Lemphers spent four years as a senior policy analyst at the Pembina Institute, a Canadian environmental and energy policy thinktank. There, he worked on policy issues related to oilsands and pipeline development – one of the highest-profile public policy areas in the country. He has also worked as a biologist in the Yukon, Alberta and France, as an environmental educator and youth mentor.
- Tammara Soma (Geography and Planning): Soma is studying the factors that influence food consumption, food wasting in urban Indonesia, as well as ways to end food waste in landfills. Raised in Indonesia, Soma witnessed firsthand how rapid urbanization often fails to consider food sustainability. “Food waste research is fascinating,” she said. “It lies within the intersection of culture and structure. By understanding how each of the variables influences the others, planners can make better decisions to help prevent food waste.”
“These four extraordinary students exemplify the dynamic and important research being conducted at the university,” said Professor Peter Lewis, associate vice-president (research). “On behalf of the University of Toronto, I congratulate them on this prestigious honour. We are also grateful to the Trudeau Foundation for this important investment in the next generation of scholars.”