One of Canada’s foremost experts on Arctic history and contemporary Northern policy, Dr. Whitney Lackenbauer, will receive $1.4 million over seven years to help improve academic, policy and public dialogue related to Canada’s North, as Trent University’s newest tier 1 Canada research chair (CRC).

Professor Lackenbauer will join Trent’s School for the Study of Canada on July 1 as a tier 1 CRC in the Study of the Canadian North – bringing the University’s total number of CRCs to seven.

“We’re excited to be welcoming Prof. Lackenbauer to Trent as a new faculty member, and congratulate him on his new role as a CRC,” said Dr. Neil Emery, vice-president Research & Innovation. “His research area will complement Trent’s leadership strengths in both the School for the Study of Canada and the Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies while also contributing to the future of our nation.”

As CRC, Prof. Lackenbauer will examine how our understandings of history and contemporary affairs influence Northern strategies and polices, and how Canada can promote sovereignty, security and the resilience of Northern communities. This is timely, he says, as climate change is altering the northern landscape, opening up the region to increasing international activity, and generating concerns about sovereignty, security, and safety at the regional, national, and community levels.

“My research throughout the Canadian North has profoundly shaped my understanding of our country and my role as a scholar,” says Prof. Lackenbauer, previously an adjunct professor in Trent’s Frost Centre for Canadian Studies and Indigenous Studies. “What excites me most about the CRC role is being able to offer similar opportunities to Trent students.”

Prof. Lackenbauer specializes in Arctic governance issues, modern Canadian military and diplomatic history, and Indigenous-state relations. He has made a major impact in the fields of Arctic studies, the history of Canada’s North, Indigenous-military relations and Northern public policy. In its millennium issue, Maclean’s Magazine cited him as a “Canadian to watch” in the 21^st century.

Prof. Lackenbauer is also an award-winning author. He has published a wide range of books, edited books, articles, book chapters, and policy papers on themes related to Canada’s Arctic and the country’s place in the broader circumpolar world. His books include The Canadian Rangers: A Living History, Canada and the Changing Arctic, and Arctic Front: Defending Canada in the Far North.

In recognition of his longstanding work with the Canadian Rangers, Prof. Lackenbauer has served as the honorary lieutenant colonel for 1^st Canadian Ranger Patrol Group, based in Yellowknife and spanning Canada’s three northern territories, since 2014. He also sits on various national boards and working groups dedicated to Canadian Arctic affairs including the Arctic Security Working Group and Canadian Arctic Resources Committee.

The number of CRCs at Trent is impressive for a university of its size. Trent’s seven chair holders advance teaching and learning through their leading edge explorations in diverse disciplines, and include the following:

• Dr. May Chazan, Feminist and Gender Studies
• Dr. Whitney Lackenbauer, Canadian North (Tier 1)
• Dr. Dennis Murray, Integrative Wildlife Conservation (Tier 1)
• Dr. Ian Power, Environmental Geosciences
• Dr. Mark Skinner, Rural Aging, Health and Social Care
• Dr. Aaron Slepkov, Physics of Biomaterials
• Dr. Paul Szpak, Environmental Archaeology

The Canada Research Chairs Program invests approximately $265 million per year toward research across science and the humanities to attract and retain some of the world’s most accomplished and promising minds. The CRC program has positioned Canada as an international leader and destination of choice in research and development.