Carleton PhD Student Wins Prestigious Award from SSHRC
Dr. Chazan with Carmen Charette, executive V-P, SSHRC
Carleton PhD student May Chazan has been awarded the $10,000 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Postdoctoral Prize. This award is presented to the most outstanding postdoctoral applicant in Canada.
Chazan will draw on research conducted at Carleton University to continue her postdoctoral research with Mark Hunter at the Department of Geography and Program in Planning at the University of Toronto.
She has focused on the Grandmothers to Grandmothers campaign, which was started by the Stephen Lewis Foundation in response to large numbers of African children who had been orphaned by AIDS. She illustrated how the campaign positively impacted the lives of hundreds of South African women through their collective response to HIV/AIDS in South Africa.
Chazan applauds the support she received while pursuing her graduate studies at Carleton. “I am extremely grateful to the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, the Institute for African Studies and the Institute for Political Economy,” she said. “So many profs and other grad students have inspired and mentored me along the way. I’ve had the tremendous fortune of working with an exceptionally engaged advisory committee of Mike Brklacich and Blair Rutherford from Carleton, as well as Belinda Dodson from the University of Western Ontario and Alan Whiteside from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. My supervisor, Mike, saw me through both my MA and my PhD and has been an incredible pillar of support.”
Chazan is also the recipient of the University Medal for Outstanding Graduate Work (Doctoral Level) that will be officially awarded at Carleton’s Fall Convocation ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 12 when she formally graduates.
In September, she received the Alice Wilson Award from the Royal Society of Canada. The award is given to a woman of outstanding academic qualifications who is entering a career in scholarship or research at the postdoctoral level.
“May is both an outstanding scholar as well as an amazing and compassionate individual,” said Brklacich, chair of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Carleton. “I consider myself very fortunate to have worked with her.”
Chazan’s postdoctoral prize was awarded at the 49th annual Canadian Association for Graduate Studies (CAGS) Conference held in Vancouver on Nov. 2. The prizes, which also included the SSHRC Aurora Prize and the William E. Taylor Fellowship, are among the Canadian research community’s highest honours.
“These prizes reward a commitment to the pursuit of knowledge and a dedication to innovative ways of thinking,” said Brent Herbert-Copley, vice-president, Research Capacity at SSHRC. “They honour the emerging researchers and future leaders who are working to enrich our understanding of Canada and the world.”
“Fostering the next generation of talent is important for Canada’s success in the future,” Herbert Copley continued. “Together we can ensure that Canada’s top talent continues to be recognized and supported.”
Each winner was selected by a rigorous peer-review process and prize funds will be directed to research activities.
SSHRC is the federal agency that promotes and supports post-secondary research and training in the humanities and social sciences. Through its programs and policies, the Council enables the highest levels of research excellence in Canada and facilitates knowledge sharing and collaboration across all sectors of society.
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For more information:
Lin Moody
Recruitment and Communications Officer|Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs
Carleton University
613-520-2600, ext. 1146
lin_moody@carleton.ca
Vickie Iacobellis
Communications Advisor | Conseillère en Communications
Communications | Communications
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada
vickie.iacobellis@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca
613-996-0520
www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca
