A total of 27 Queen’s University researchers have received a combined $3.56 million in research funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Insight program. The grants, which run between one and five years, serve to support research and research partnerships that will build knowledge and understanding about people, societies and the world by supporting research excellence in all subject areas.

“Queen’s researchers continue to push the envelope in the social sciences, arts, and humanities, pursuing projects that offer the potential for tremendous cultural, social, and economic benefits,” says John Fisher, Interim Vice-Principal (Research). “The success of our researchers in obtaining these grants demonstrates the success of Queen’s researchers in addressing the most complex issues facing our society today. I offer my most sincere congratulations, and look forward to witnessing first-hand the success of these initiatives.”

Successful recipients include:

Susan Bartels (Emergency Medicine/Public Health Sciences)

Dr. Bartels proposes an in-depth study of the challenges and life courses of “peace babies” – children born as a result of intimate relations, both consensual and non-consensual, between local women and UN Peacekeepers during the MONUSCO mission in the Congo. Her research will examine the socioeconomic, cultural and security circumstances that lead to the unequal power relationships between peacekeepers and the local population, as well as the life experiences and challenges faced by peace babies and their mothers.

Yolande Chan (Smith School of Business)

Dr. Chan will examine Canadian university entrepreneurship incubators, as well as those in the U.S. and U.K. to determine how to strengthen innovation performance. Her research will look at how digital technology can be used to identify novel ideas or findings stemming from university research and assist incubators in nurturing start-ups with high potential.

Marc Epprecht (Global Development Studies)

Dr. Epprecht aims to reconstruct a social history of the South African municipality of Msunduzi from the late 1950’s through the end of apartheid and into the present day. Msunduzi presents an interesting location to study, as it faces some of the most difficult development challenges in all of South Africa, including high rates of HIV/AIDS, unemployment, crime and poverty. Dr. Epprecht will work in collaboration with leading social historians in the region to promote a deeper understanding of the historical and cultural factors at play.

Mohamed Khimji (Law)

Professor Khimji’s research aims to provide a thorough analysis of shareholder democracy – defined as efforts to promote shareholder participation in corporate governance – in publically-traded Canadian corporations. This project will address the lack of quantitative data on shareholder activism in publicly traded companies in recent decades – examining the extent and effectiveness of activism as a tool in corporate governance.

For more information about the Insight program, visit the website.

Insight Grant Recipients
Stephen Baron (Sociology) $137,471
Susan Bartels (Emergency Medicine/Public Health Sciences) $316,743
Yolande Chan (Smith School of Business) $194,398
Fabio Colivicchi (Classics) $100,000
Christopher Cotton (Economics) $116,924
Peter Dacin (Smith School of Business) $195,980
Evan Dudley (Smith School of Business) $84,971
Marc Epprecht (Global Development Studies) $329,298
Christopher Essert (Law) $85,240
Mohamed Khimji (Law) $155,305
Jean-Baptiste Litrico (Smith School of Business) $124,760
Jeff Masuda (Kinesiology and Health Studies) $236,767
David McDonald (Global Development Studies) $181,909
Allison Morehead (Art History and Art Conservation) $159,344
Morten Nielsen (Economics) $123,805
Susanne Soederberg (Political Studies) $98,460
Wei Wang (Smith School of Business) $70,070

Insight Development Grant Recipients
J. Andrew Grant (Political Studies) $31,547
Gail Henderson (Law) $67,114
Norma Möllers (Sociology) $57,391
Jennifer Tomasone (Kinesiology and Health) $70,267
Benjamin Bolden (Education) $59,972
Theresa Davies (Mechanical and Materials Engineering) $66,000
Sumon Majumdar (Economics) $30,730
Trisha Parsons (Rehabilitation Therapy) $66,383

Partnership Development Grant Recipients
Susan Bartels (Emergency Medicine/Public Health Sciences) $199,930
Christopher DeLuca (Education) $199,950