In the latest round of funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the New Frontiers in Research Fund, Trent University scholars have secured more than $1.6 million to support 12 research projects across a range of interdisciplinary topics. From the politics of insecurity to the future of just home care, researchers at Trent are diving deep into what it means to live in today’s world. 

“These awards speak to the kind of research Trent has been doing for decades. Researchers are tackling complex, difficult questions and are designing investigations that are thoughtfully people-centred,” says Dr. Holger Hintelmann, interim vice-president of Research & Innovation at Trent University. “Whether it’s aging in rural communities, navigating justice systems, or rethinking our relationship with the environment, our researchers are focused on understanding what’s affecting the human condition and why it matters.” 

The funded projects span fields from ecotoxicology and archaeology to municipal politics, civil justice, and gendered Islamophobia. The explorations aim to advance our understanding and spark new conversations about identity, community, aging, sustainability, and the systems that shape our day-to-day lives and long-term future. 

New Frontiers in Research Fund  

Supporting world-leading interdisciplinary, international, high-risk / high-reward, transformative and rapid-response Canadian-led research

• Dr. Mary-Claire Buell, Forensic Science and School of the Environment: Towards Decolonizing Ecotoxicology: Collaborative Contaminants Surveillance Programs with Indigenous Nations - $250,000 

Insight Grants 

Building knowledge and understanding about people, societies, and the world

• Dr. Antonio Cazorla-Sánchez, History: Inside Franco’s Governments, 1957-1975 - $53,340 
• Dr. Naomi Nichols, Sociology: Transforming Institutions: Participatory Municipal Politics in the Age of Insecurity - $390,508 
• Dr. Mark Skinner, Geography: Prospect and Precarity of Older Volunteer Leadership in Aging Rural Communities - $178,057 
• Dr. Eugène Morin, Anthropology: Did Modern Humans Outcompete Neandertals by Hunting a Wider Range of Prey? - $238,820 

Insight Development Grants 

Enabling the development of new research questions, as well as experimentation with new methods, theoretical approaches and/or ideas

• Dr. Nadiya Ali, Sociology: Exploring Gendered Anti-Black Islamophobia: A Photovoice Study of Black Muslim Women in Toronto and Edmonton - $69,818 
• Dr. Raheleh Haji Gholam Saryazdi, Psychology: Understanding the Developmental Trajectory of Elderspeak - $63,410 
• Dr. Mandi Gray, Criminology: Civil Justice and Sexual Violence in Canada: A Critical Exploration - $25,469 
• Dr. Richard Last, Ancient Greek & Roman Studies: The Apostle Paul and Dysfluency in Antiquity: New Perspectives from the Field of Speech-Language Pathology - $31,705  
• Dr. Amanda Paxton, English Literature: The Affective Impact of GenAI on University Writing instructors - $43,591 
• Dr. Paul Szpak, Anthropology: What's in a Bone? Assessing Mammalian Bone Collagen Turnover Rates Using Bomb Pulse Dating - $74,454 

Partnership Development Grants 

Supporting research in the social sciences and humanities while encouraging the design and testing of new partnership approaches to develop best practices

• Dr. Mary Jean Hande, Sociology: Towards Just Care: Building and Mobilizing a Grassroots Coalition for Just Home Care - $199,606 

Partnership Engage Grants 

Supporting short-term partnered research activities involving a postsecondary institution and a single organization from the public, private or not-for-profit sectors 

• Dr. Nadiya Ali, Sociology: Cultivating Racialized Youth Identity-Affirmation through an Art-Based Workshop, in partnership with National Council of Canadian Muslims - $24,071
• Dr. Sarah West, Biology and Kinesiology: The Psychosocial Impact of Volunteering at Recreational Oncology Camp in Healthcare Professionals, in Partnership with Campfire Circle - $24,965

Learn more about research at Trent University.