Eight researchers at St. Francis Xavier University have been awarded a combined $315,509 through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) to support collaborative research projects that address pressing societal challenges through partnerships with communities, organizations, and policymakers.
The funding includes one Partnership Development Grant, three Partnership Engage Grants, and one Connection Grant supporting projects that span climate action in Mi'kma'ki, early literacy education, responsible quantum technology governance, women's participation in municipal politics, and digital humanities training.
"I congratulate all the StFX faculty members and librarians who have had SSHRC success across the Insight, Partnership, and Connection programs, on a wide range of projects. Securing federal SSHRC support for research is an essential part of advancing our university's liberal arts education across all four of our faculties and the Angus L. Macdonald Library," says Dr. Erin Morton, StFX Associate Vice President Research, Graduate & Professional Studies. "SSHRC's research support will also help grow our next generation of researchers by supporting and training students as part of this work."
The recipients include:
Partnership Development Grant
Dr. Jon Langdon (Development Studies/Adult Education)
Partnership Engage Grants
Dr. Michael Fairbrother (Education)
Dr. Kristen Csenkey (Mulroney Institute Postdoctoral Fellow) and Dr. Adam Lajeunesse (Public Policy and Governance/Mulroney Chair in Arctic and Maritime Security)
Dr. Rebecca Wallace (Public Policy/Mila Mulroney Research Chair in Women and Politics) and Dr. Hailey Murphy (Political Science)
Connection Grant
Margaret Vail (Angus L. Macdonald Library) and Dr. Laura Estill (English/Digital Humanities)
Details on each project:
Partnership Development Grant
Dr. Jon Langdon (Development Studies/Adult Education), has received $199,996 over three years for "A Partnership for 3D Transition: Coming Together for Decarbonization, Democratization, and Decolonization in Mi'kma'ki." Partners on the project include Action CoLab; Coalition for Responsible Energy Development in New Brunswick; Conservation Council of New Brunswick; Ecology Action Centre; For Our Kids Climate Education Society; Front commun pour la transition énergétique; Mixed Coast Collective; PEI Watershed Alliance, Inc; People Not Plunder; and Sierra Club Canada Foundation. This partnership brings together Mi'kmaw water protectors and land defenders, environmental organizations, and researchers across the Atlantic provinces to collaboratively envision a "3D transition" a decarbonized, democratic, and decolonial socio-economic future. The project uses restorying,' a cyclical process of dialogue, learning, and action, to create shared understanding across the network and within local communities. The partnership will share findings through conferences, publications and policy as well as allied-oriented reports.
Partnership Engage Grants
Dr. Michael Fairbrother (Education) is the recipient of $47,580 in funding for the project, "Instructional Judgement in Early Reading Under Conditions of Accountability." This project is a partnership between Dr. Fairbrother and the Western Québec School Board focused on how educators make and explain decisions about early reading instruction. Across Canada, early reading has become a central focus of public discussion and policy change. The study examines how educators explain and justify instructional decisions within a school system where multiple roles share responsibility for early reading instruction. Examining these discussions provides insight into how instructional decisions are shaped through dialogue among educators working in different roles across the system. The findings will contribute to understanding how research evidence, policy expectations, and professional experience are brought together in everyday instructional practice.
Dr. Kristen Csenkey (Mulroney Institute Postdoctoral Fellow) and Dr. Adam Lajeunesse (Public Policy and Governance/Mulroney Chair in Arctic and Maritime Security) have received $19,296 for "Democratic Norms into Practice: Responsible Technology Governance in the Quantum." This interdisciplinary research collaboration between StFX Public Policy and Governance academics and partner Open Quantum Design, a non-profit organization focused on equitable access to quantum computing capabilities, is looking to advance critical policy research on the potential for quantum computing to contribute to economic growth and social advancement, while managing the associated risks through responsible technology governance. The project has the potential to benefit the Canadian economy and broader society by illustrating how democratic normative concepts can inform the development of disruptive technologies generally, and specifically quantum computing, to identify benefits as well as protect national interests.
Dr. Rebecca Wallace (Public Policy and Governance/Mila Mulroney Research Chair in Women and Politics) with collaborator Dr. Hailey Murphy (Political Science) have received $24,992 for "Women's Retention in and Exits from Municipal Officeholding in Nova Scotia." Their work is in partnership with NS Federation of Municipalities. In political science, researchers often focus on the barriers affecting women's entry into politics, but don't consider if women are leaving office earlier than their male colleagues, the conditions under which they depart, and what effects this may have on public policy. This project will explore the underlying issues concerning women's retention in and exits from political officeholding in Nova Scotia's municipalities and identify areas of improvement for retaining women in local government.
Connection Grant
Margaret Vail (Angus L. Macdonald Library) and Dr. Laura Estill (English/Digital Humanities) received $23,645 for "Research Lifecycle: Project Management, Research Data Management, and Dissemination." This funding was in support of the annual Digital Humanities Summer Institute East programming, held in May 2026 on the StFX campus. Nearly 40 participants from across the country and internationally converged on StFX for a major four-day Atlantic training hub for digital humanities. Three concurrent workshops focused on teaching and research in humanities fields using digital resources.
