Five early-career scholars have been welcomed into the inaugural cohort of St. Michael’s College Junior Fellows. As part of St. Michael’s commitment to fostering a community that mobilizes new knowledge in service to the common good, the program will bring together academics and grad students who seek to participate in and contribute to the life of the College.
“The enthusiasm the Junior Fellows bring to St. Michael’s College is already palpable,” says St. Mike’s prof and program coordinator Stephen Tardif. “They are bursting with enthusiasm and innovative ideas not only about how the College might support them in their own research, but how they, in turn, might contribute to our students, and to the intellectual life of the institution more generally.”
The introductory cohort includes:
- Amanda Arulanandam (PhD candidate – Political Science)
- Nicholas Baker (PhD student – History)
- Josie Greenhill (PhD student – Fine Art History/Book History)
- Robin D’Souza (PhD candidate – English)
- Jingxuan Zhang (PhD candidate – Mathematics)
As Junior Fellows, the cohort will contribute to the life of St. Michael’s through a variety of initiatives, including facilitating reading groups in their areas of expertise and taking part in the College’s sponsored programs. The program will also fuel the scholarship of the Fellows through a research stipend and will foster community between them and scholars and professors at St. Mike’s.
“One top priority of mine as a junior fellow is to better engage students in STEM subjects with the college community, especially through interdisciplinary events,” says Zhang, a member of the cohort and a PhD candidate in mathematics. Other junior fellows have begun planning diverse initiatives including writing workshops for students, discussion groups, and research projects on topics such as politics and humility, early-20th-century paramilitary networks, and the history of science and technology.
“After an isolating year and a half, I am so excited to be a part of small academic communities, both at the College as a whole and in my group of Junior Fellows,” says D’Souza. “I hope to contribute to a sense of fellowship at the College, a sense that I have grown to appreciate more during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to bring my research into conversation with that of other budding scholars.”
A new initiative will bring young scholars into the St. Michael’s community this fall, fostering their research and building their professional connections while enriching the campus with their expertise and enthusiasm.
The St. Michael’s College Junior Fellowship Program is designed for professional students (including those who study law and medicine), graduate students, and advanced-degree graduates who have a connection to the University of Toronto and an interest in participating in, and contributing to, the life of St. Michael’s. Junior Fellows will propose their own unique contributions, which can range from creating and facilitating topical reading groups and working groups, to participating in programming for St. Michael’s students and students enrolled in St. Michael’s sponsored programs, to creating new opportunities to enhance collegiate life in other areas. Perks include an annual research stipend, full library privileges, faculty mentorship and professional development opportunities, and access to the Faculty Dining Room and common rooms.
“I think this will foster a thriving, vibrant community of young scholars who are going to connect with each other and with members of the college—its students, faculty, and senior fellows—in ways that are distinctive to the intellectual interests and values of St. Michael’s as an institution,” says Dr. Stephen Tardif, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, of the Christianity and Culture Program.
Tardif says that the new program is comparable to junior fellowship programs at other U of T Colleges such as Victoria College, which in a typical year will host 10 to 20 participants. He expects a similar number of fellows in St. Michael’s program.
In addition to fostering community among young scholars, Tardif expects the program to fuel exciting research in subject areas that are distinctive to the intellectual interests and values of St. Michael’s as an institution. “Gathering together will be a process of intellectual discovery. We’re very excited to see how these kinds of connections can facilitate [the junior fellows’] own research, and how our own faculty and fellows might offer them mentorship and intellectual community,” he says.
Taking an active, shaping role in the development of the next generation of scholars is a particular benefit for current faculty in St. Michael’s sponsored programs because their teaching and mentorship is usually focused on undergraduate students. Providing mentorship to and fostering the research of graduate students creates opportunities to “shape the next generation of scholars,” Tardif says.
The deadline for applications to the St. Michael’s College Junior Fellowship Program for the 2021-2022 academic year is August 1, 2021.