Canada Research Chairs
Canada Research Chair in South Asian Literary and Cultural Studies
Asma Sayed, PhD
Dr. Asma Sayed's research focuses on South Asian Canadian (SAC) artistic contributions between 1910 and 2010, mapping the first century of South Asian creativity in Canada. Studying an underexamined yet significant area of Canadian cultural production, the project addresses the importance of recognizing and building a comprehensive history of how the largest visible minority in Canada has impacted Canadian social justice discourse and political change. The research will examine South Asian Canadian literary and visual texts, both celebrated and lesser known, in English and in heritage languages.
Sherman Jen Research Chairs
A major donation from the Dr. Sherman Jen Education Foundation will allow Kwantlen Polytechnic University to expand its applied research capacity. The $3-million gift will also support students pursuing global studies.
Dr. Sherman Jen founded Maple Leaf Educational Systems in 1995, blending the western curriculum and teaching methods with traditional Chinese approaches to education. It has since expanded to 115 schools spanning preschool to high school with a student population of more than 46,000.
Dr. Jen’s innovative educational leadership has been recognized by both Chinese and Canadian governments. Dr. Jen has also been recognized for his services to education and to cross-cultural understanding.
The Sherman Jen Research Chair in Applied Genomics
Paul Adams, PhD
As the Sherman Jen Research Chair in Applied Genomics, Dr. Adams will work with KPU students and leading researchers at KPU and beyond to improve animal and plant health, sustainability, product development and competitiveness for agricultural sectors in B.C. and Canada.
The Sherman Jen Research Chair in Next-Generation Design
Stephanie Phillips, BAA, MA
As the Sherman Jen Research Chair in Next-Generation Design, Phillips will focus on biodegradable functional materials, exploring how enhanced natural materials that remain recyclable can be used in the apparel industry.
BC Innovation Chair (formerly Leading Edge Endowment Fund (LEEF))
Deborah Henderson, B.Sc., M.Sc., PhD
In 2009 the Institute for Sustainable Horticulture (ISH) appointed Dr. Deborah Henderson as the Regional Innovation Chair in Sustainable Horticulture. Her leadership is helping ISH make breakthroughs in several areas, including sustainable agri-food systems, bio-control products (an alternative to pesticides), and the potential of geothermal heat as a clean energy source.
Chancellor's Chair
Candy Ho, B.A. (SFU), M.Ed. (SFU), Ed.D. (SFU), Career Development Practitioner (SFU)
Dr. Candy Ho (Educational Studies) aims to explore and enhance the integration of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) into the K-12 education system in British Columbia, Canada. Acknowledging the pivotal role of education in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the project seeks to understand and improve educators' engagement with the SDGs. It provides opportunities for K-12 educators to incorporate the SDGs into their pedagogical practices and curriculum development, subsequently engaging them in a reflective discourse on the process and its outcomes. The research objectives include investigating educators' comprehension of the SDGs, their experiences in curriculum design incorporating these goals, and administrators' perspectives on the benefits and impacts of such integration. It also aims to create public resources based on educators' insights, disseminate findings through academic and public platforms, and provide training and mentorship to undergraduate students in research skills. Employing a constructivist approach, the research project involves educators and administrators from local school districts, recruiting participants for a Professional Learning Community (PLC). The PLC, a key component of the methodology, aims to deepen educators' understanding of SDGs and enhance their pedagogy. Spanning three years, the project allows for a comprehensive understanding of the long-term impact of the PLCs on educators' practices. Anticipated outcomes include insights into educators' awareness and understanding of the SDGs, enhanced educator confidence in incorporating these goals into their curriculum, and practical recommendations for school districts and government agencies. This will contribute to Canada's progress towards the UN SDGs by the 2030 target year.
Kyle Jackson, BA (SFU), MA (SOAS), PhD (Warwick)
Dr. Kyle Jackson’s research reevaluates the history of empire and borderlands in the eastern Himalayas, urging a shift towards analytical perspectives that begin in the highlands and work outwards from this understudied but globally significant region. As a 2024 Chancellor’s Chair, Jackson will collaborate with KPU students, as well as scholar-practitioners in Northeast India, to advance research on “Global, Connected, and Creative histories of the Eastern Himalayas.” A first project highlights histories of mobility in the region, challenging enduring stereotypes about its remoteness from global processes of interconnection; a second project integrates comics scholarship with historical practice, launching a collaborative graphic history of Northeast Indian labourers during the First World War; and a third project turns to the historical lenses of water and night.
Jackson’s articles on South Asian history, historical methodology, and pedagogy appear in _Modern Asian Studies_, _History Compass_, _Studies in History,_ and _The Routledge Companion to Northeast India_ (New York: Routledge, 2023). His first book, _The Mizo Discovery of the British Raj: Empire & Religion in Northeast India, 1890-1920_, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2023.
Victor Martinez, PhD
Dr. Victor Martinez – Started his professional career as a car designer in Mexico in 1995 and later in Italy in 2001 collaborating on projects for FIAT, Alfa Romeo, Audi, Italdesign-Giugiaro among many others. In 2009 he cofounded Ecopilia, a spin-off company from his research on biodegradable materials. He has 18 years of experience teaching industrial design, and as a researcher has worked in the fields of biodegradable materials, and alternative urban mobility.
With this award Dr. Martinez will work on the project FutureXplorations which aims to engage diverse community groups using a systems thinking and design thinking methodology developed over 14 years for complex social problem-solving, facilitating the understanding of root causes and the creation of long-lasting systemic change. The goal is to develop actionable plans and strategies for communities to implement and share with all community members, including politicians, policymakers, and business leaders, to effect real change, empower communities, and build resiliency toward climate change.
Fabricio Telo, BA (UFSM), MA (UFRRJ), PhD (UFRRJ)
Before joining KPU's Sociology Department in the Fall of 2021, Fabricio served as a sociology instructor at the Federal Fluminense University in Brazil. He completed his Master of Arts and PhD in Social Sciences at the Federal Rural University in Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Brazil, where he joined the Centre for Research, Documentation and Reference on Social Movements and Public Policies in the Countryside (NMSPP/CPDA/UFRRJ). As an awardee of the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program, Fabricio went to the University of Victoria, Canada, in 2018 for a PhD exchange program that focused on transitional justice. Following his passion for public scholarship, Fabricio has been contributing to Brazil's Peasant Truth Commission, raising public awareness on the history of the Brazilian military dictatorship of 1964-1985 and advocating for agrarian reform and reparation to victims of violence in rural Brazil.
Fabricio's Chancellor's Chair research project critically examines the international practices of Canadian companies, focusing on Brazilian Traction Light and Power's role in developing infrastructure in Brazil's major cities and its implications for Brazil's sovereignty. The study explores Brazilian Traction's involvement with Brazil's military dictatorship (1964-1985), including its political support and economic benefits, and a specific case where local families in South Rio de Janeiro state were forced to leave their land for the company to build a resort.
KPU Research Chairs
KPU Research Chair in Lifespan Cognition
Daniel Bernstein, BA, M.Ps, PhD
Dr. Daniel Bernstein's research allows him to run the Lifespan Cognition Lab, where he and his team study how thinking develops and changes across the lifespan. Preschool children through older adults in studies complete a set of game-like tasks designed to measure perspective taking, memory, and decision making. The KPU Research Chair also allows Dr. Bernstein to train 10-15 researchers each year. Trainees learn valuable skills, including experimental design, ethical experimentation, computer programming, participant recruitment, participant testing, data analysis and interpretation, and conference abstract and manuscript preparation. Trainees also develop presentation and blogging skills to share their ideas with a wide audience.