Michele Charlton – July 12, 2021

Researchers from the Faculties of Arts and Social Sciences, Engineering, Science, and Health, have been named as Dalhousie University‘s newest Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Chairs. The Killam Chairs are awarded to academics of the highest distinction at Dalhousie with appointments of up to five years.

Dalhousie is one of five recognized Killam Institutions. Since Izaak Killam was originally from Yarmouth and had many business interests in his home province, the university was a logical choice to receive Killam funds (and was the largest single recipient).

“Dalhousie University is proud to be a Killam Institution and we are thrilled to have these outstanding individuals as members of our research community,” says Alice Aiken, Dalhousie’s vice-president research and innovation. “Congratulations to Dr. Cooper, Dr. Plucknett, Dr. Dasog, and Dr. Parsons Leigh. Your recognition is well deserved.”

Afua Cooper, Faculty of Arts and Social Science

Dr. Cooper is perhaps best known to the Dalhousie community for her academic pursuits, including serving as the past James R. Johnston Chair in Black Canadian Studies, leading the Black and African Disapora Studies minor, founding the Black Canadian Studies Association and the Dalhousie Black Faculty and Staff Caucus, as well as chairing the Scholarly Panel on Lord Dalhousie’s Relationship to Race and Slavery.

She has also had an accomplished career as a nationally recognized artist, author and poet, and has written books spanning genres from fiction and non-fiction to poetry and children’s literature. She is one of the founders of the Dub Poetry movement in Canada, and served as poet laureate of Halifax from 2018-2020.

Source: Dal News