Research Chairs & Awards
Our research chairs are internationally recognized experts and leaders in their fields. Learn more about their work by clicking the below links to their faculty profiles.
Canada Research Chairs
Irene Botosaru
Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Applied Econometrics | Associate Professor, Department of Economics
Research involves: Econometrics; Longitudinal Data Analysis; Decision Making; Forecasting
Megan Brickley
Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Bioarchaeology of Human Disease | Professor, Department of Anthropology
Research involves: Bioarchaeology; Biological Anthropology; Metabolic Diseases; Paleopathology
Chelsea Gabel
Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Indigenous Well-Being, Community Engagement, and Innovation Associate | Professor, Departments of Health, Aging & Society and Indigenous Studies
Research involves: Arts-based Research Methods; Digital Technology; Indigenous Knowledge; Indigenous Health and Well-Being; Intergenerational Communication
Stephen McBride
Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Public Policy and Globalization | Professor and Graduate Chair, Department of Political Science
Research involves: Global Political Economy; Globalization; International Relations; Labour Issues; Public Policy; Social and Health Policy
Marisa Young
Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Mental Health and Work-Life Transitions | Associate Professor and Graduate Chair, Department of Sociology
Research involves: Mental Health; Work/Family Conflict; Community and Social Determinant of Health; Social Inequality; Gender
Irene Botosaru
Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Applied Econometrics | Associate Professor, Department of Economics
Research involves: Econometrics; Longitudinal Data Analysis; Decision Making; Forecasting
Megan Brickley
Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Bioarchaeology of Human Disease | Professor, Department of Anthropology
Research involves: Bioarchaeology; Biological Anthropology; Metabolic Diseases; Paleopathology
Chelsea Gabel
Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Indigenous Well-Being, Community Engagement, and Innovation Associate | Professor, Departments of Health, Aging & Society and Indigenous Studies
Research involves: Arts-based Research Methods; Digital Technology; Indigenous Knowledge; Indigenous Health and Well-Being; Intergenerational Communication
Stephen McBride
Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Public Policy and Globalization | Professor and Graduate Chair, Department of Political Science
Research involves: Global Political Economy; Globalization; International Relations; Labour Issues; Public Policy; Social and Health Policy
Marisa Young
Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Mental Health and Work-Life Transitions | Associate Professor and Graduate Chair, Department of Sociology
Research involves: Mental Health; Work/Family Conflict; Community and Social Determinant of Health; Social Inequality; Gender
Research Chairs and Professorships
Michelle L. Dion
Senator Wm. McMaster Chair in Gender & Methodology | Professor, Department of Political Science
Research involves: Comparative political economy, comparative political behaviour, and research design and methodology.
Jim Dunn
Senator Wm McMaster Chair in Urban Health Equity | Professor, Director of McMaster Institute for Healthier Environments
Research involves: living communities as they undergo transformations, and explores how built environments affect the mental and physical health in neighbourhoods and communities
Judy Fudge
Professor, School of Labour Studies | LIUNA Enrico Henry Mancinelli Professor in Global Labour Issues
Research involves: Socio-legal approaches to work; Canadian labour law history; the nexus between immigration and labour regulation; precarious work, gender and labour law, care work and law; labour rights as human rights; comparative approaches to labour regulation; international and comparative equality law at work.
Anthea Innes
Professor, Department of Health, Aging & Society | Gilbrea Chair in Aging & Mental Health | Director of the Gilbrea Centre for Studies in Aging
Research involves: The interface of public policies, organizational practices, and older people’s lived experience.
Ameil Joseph
Associate Professor & Graduate Chair School of Social Work | Holder, Faculty of Social Sciences Professorship in Equity, Identity and Transformation | Academic Director, Community Engaged Research and Relationships, Office of Community Engagement
Research involves: Confluence, Critical Disability Studies, Critical Race Theory, Ethics, Historiography, Mental Health, Postcolonial Theory, Race, Social Justice and Violence.
Jeffrey S. Racine
Professor, Department of Economics | Professor, Graduate Program in Statistics, Department of Mathematics and Statistics | Senator William McMaster Chair in Econometrics | Fellow of Journal of Econometrics | Associate Editor, Econometric Reviews
Research involves: Nonparametric estimation and inference, cross-validatory model selection, frequentist model averaging, nonparametric instrumental methods, and entropy-based measures of dependence and their statistical underpinnings.
Karen Robson
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology | Ontario Research Chair in Educational Achievement and At-Risk Youth
Research involves: Investigating postsecondary transitions of students and how race, class, gender, and special education needs impact upon the transition to postsecondary students in Toronto.
Arthur Sweetman
Professor, Department of Economics | Ontario Research Chair in Health Human Resources | Co-Editor of Canadian Journal of Economics
Research involves: Health economics, labour economics, microeconometrics.
Liyakat Takim
Professor, Department of Religious Studies | Sharjah Chair in Global Islam
Research involves: Reformation in the Islamic world, the treatment of women in Islamic law, Islam in America, the indigenization of the Muslim community in America, dialogue in post-911 America, war and peace in the Islamic tradition, Islamic law, Islamic biographical literature, the charisma of the holy man and shrine culture, and Islamic mystical traditions.
Vanessa Watts
Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Department of Indigenous Studies | Paul R. MacPherson Chair in Indigenous Studies
Research involves: Gender, sexuality and education, Indigenous policy.
Michelle L. Dion
Senator Wm. McMaster Chair in Gender & Methodology | Professor, Department of Political Science
Research involves: Comparative political economy, comparative political behaviour, and research design and methodology.
Jim Dunn
Senator Wm McMaster Chair in Urban Health Equity | Professor, Director of McMaster Institute for Healthier Environments
Research involves: living communities as they undergo transformations, and explores how built environments affect the mental and physical health in neighbourhoods and communities
Judy Fudge
Professor, School of Labour Studies | LIUNA Enrico Henry Mancinelli Professor in Global Labour Issues
Research involves: Socio-legal approaches to work; Canadian labour law history; the nexus between immigration and labour regulation; precarious work, gender and labour law, care work and law; labour rights as human rights; comparative approaches to labour regulation; international and comparative equality law at work.
Anthea Innes
Professor, Department of Health, Aging & Society | Gilbrea Chair in Aging & Mental Health | Director of the Gilbrea Centre for Studies in Aging
Research involves: The interface of public policies, organizational practices, and older people’s lived experience.
Ameil Joseph
Associate Professor & Graduate Chair School of Social Work | Holder, Faculty of Social Sciences Professorship in Equity, Identity and Transformation | Academic Director, Community Engaged Research and Relationships, Office of Community Engagement
Research involves: Confluence, Critical Disability Studies, Critical Race Theory, Ethics, Historiography, Mental Health, Postcolonial Theory, Race, Social Justice and Violence.
Jeffrey S. Racine
Professor, Department of Economics | Professor, Graduate Program in Statistics, Department of Mathematics and Statistics | Senator William McMaster Chair in Econometrics | Fellow of Journal of Econometrics | Associate Editor, Econometric Reviews
Research involves: Nonparametric estimation and inference, cross-validatory model selection, frequentist model averaging, nonparametric instrumental methods, and entropy-based measures of dependence and their statistical underpinnings.
Karen Robson
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology | Ontario Research Chair in Educational Achievement and At-Risk Youth
Research involves: Investigating postsecondary transitions of students and how race, class, gender, and special education needs impact upon the transition to postsecondary students in Toronto.
Arthur Sweetman
Professor, Department of Economics | Ontario Research Chair in Health Human Resources | Co-Editor of Canadian Journal of Economics
Research involves: Health economics, labour economics, microeconometrics.
Liyakat Takim
Professor, Department of Religious Studies | Sharjah Chair in Global Islam
Research involves: Reformation in the Islamic world, the treatment of women in Islamic law, Islam in America, the indigenization of the Muslim community in America, dialogue in post-911 America, war and peace in the Islamic tradition, Islamic law, Islamic biographical literature, the charisma of the holy man and shrine culture, and Islamic mystical traditions.
Vanessa Watts
Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Department of Indigenous Studies | Paul R. MacPherson Chair in Indigenous Studies
Research involves: Gender, sexuality and education, Indigenous policy.
Faculty Research Awards
Early Career Researcher Award
Recognizes the research excellence of an early career Social Sciences faculty member.
Impact Award
Recognizes outstanding research impacts, knowledge mobilization, and outreach activities.
Global Scholar-In-Community Award
An opportunity for research collaborations and knowledge mobilization with community organizations.
Fulbright Scholars
Exceptional scholars who conduct research important to McMaster university.