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Dr. Jade Crimson Rose Da Costa, born to a Goan Indian refugee from Uganda and an English-Hungarian factory worker, embodies a multifaceted identity as a gender nonbinary queer woman of color. A scholar, community organizer, knowledge mobilizer, and creative writer, Dr. Da Costa currently serves as a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Guelph. Da Costa holds a PhD in Sociology from York University, and their body of work focuses on topics related to anti-racism, decolonization, and intersectionality.

What motivated you to pursue the Master of Conservation Leadership program, and what specific areas of conservation are you focusing on? How does your current work/career fit into this? 

Pursuing a master's degree has always been a personal and professional goal.  As a site manager for a large scale marine protected area, I work with many experts and scientists at the national and international levels.  Obtaining a master's degree in Conservation Leadership provides me with additional tools and knowledge to advance the work that I do.  

What motivated you to pursue the Master of Conservation Leadership program, and what specific areas of conservation are you focusing on? How does your current work/career fit into this?  

Dr. Tad McIlwraith is a cultural anthropologist who uses storytelling as the medium for his research. Much like the ebbs and flows of a story told through the generations, McIlwraith’s current research project is about things that flow – water, wind, and air.

David MacDonald is a professor in the Political Science Department, where he has been since 2007. He is of Indo-Trinidadian and Scottish origin, descended from Indian girmitiya (indentured labourers) from three sugar plantations in Trinidad. He is spending his sabbatical as an honorary academic in Politics and International Relations at Waipapa Taumata Rau / University of Auckland. He is also a fellow at the Aotearoa Centre for Indigenous Peoples and the Law, and this article was written while he was a visiting fellow at Auckland Law School.

Partnership Development Grants ignite collaboration! These grants are awarded to teams led by project directors to recognize their efforts in advancing research and related activities within the social sciences and humanities. But they are more than just accolades; they're catalysts for innovation. They pave the way for groundbreaking partnerships. 

Dr. Tad McIlwraith, a member of the Anthropology department within the College of Social and Applied Human Sciences, along with Dr. Sarah Adamowicz and Dr. Joey Bernhardt from Integrative Biology, have secured $250,000 over two years through the New Frontiers in Research Fund Exploration competition. Their focus is on tracking the northward migration of biting flies into Arctic regions due to climate change and examining the resulting impacts on wildlife and human health.