Chad Gaffield, University Research Chair, has been appointed the new President of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
of Canada (SSHRC).
SSHRC is an independent federal government agency that funds university-based research and graduate training through national peer-review competitions.
Gaffield launched the Institute of Canadian Studies at the University of Ottawa and served as the founding director from 1997 to 2003. In 2004, he was awarded the J.B. Tyrrell Historical Medal by the Royal Society of Canada for his outstanding contribution to the study of Canada. A highly innovative educator, in 2002, Gaffield was named the University’s Professor of the Year to recognize excellence in teaching.
A former president of the Canadian Historical Association and a widely respected interdisciplinary historian, Gaffield’s experience and knowledge have benefited the University community. “In my years at the University of Ottawa, I’ve developed a love and respect for the world of research as the foundation of our hopes for a better society. As a historian, I’ve come to appreciate the complexity of change and how hard we must work to fulfill our ambitions,” said Gaffield.
The ability to advance knowledge and to produce talent in an increasingly competitive international context is one of the challenges he sees facing universities and the research community. “We need to understand much better how individuals and groups can live together in prosperity and harmony. We then need to take the knowledge and understanding generated by social science and humanities researchers and move it into the public domain — to inform public debate,” he continued.
Related Link:
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
