Research Chairs in Indigenous Studies
Canada
Number of recipients
In addition to being a prestigious academic exchange program, the Fulbright Program is designed to expand and strengthen relationships between the people of the United States and citizens of other nations and to promote international understanding and cooperation. To support this mission, Fulbright Scholars may be asked to give public talks, mentor students, and otherwise engage with the host community, in addition to their primary activities.
Fulbright Canada Research Chairs are pre-arranged affiliations to host exceptional scholars who conduct research important to that university. Partner universities are excited to welcome Fulbright Canada Research Chairs into campus life and encourage them to engage with students and faculty, and the broader community. You can conduct your own research, work collaboratively with new colleagues, guest lecture at university courses, mentor students, lecture in public venues, network, and promote your research while representing the Fulbright program, and your home and host institutions. For specific information about this opportunity, visit the Fulbright Canada webpage for Research Chairs in Indigenous Studies.
Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Knowledges, Concordia University
Specializations: Indigenous knowledges as applied to diverse fields of study, including Indigenous studies, fine arts, public policy, as well as language and culture.
Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Justice and Reconciliation, Kings University College at Western University
Specializations: Applicants from any Humanities or Social Science discipline are welcome. Applicants should demonstrate how past/ongoing research projects explore aspects of restorative justice and reconciliation, broadly construed.
Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Scholarship, McMaster University
Specializations: Indigenous knowledge, epistemologies, methodologies, across multiple disciplines.
Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Law and Legal Issues, University of Alberta
Specializations: North American Indigenous and Aboriginal law with a focus on Indigenous law revitalization and development, research methods, community-engaged research and teaching, as well as comparative and critical perspectives.
Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Native Peoples and Communities, University of Alberta
Specializations: Metis resources and law, Inuit and environmental change, Dene and diamonds and urban aboriginal residents.
Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Public Policy and Criminal Justice, University of Guelph
Specializations: Indigenous law and policy; Indigenous persons and the correctional system; Indigenous persons and judicial processes; Alternative judicial and criminal law processes; law and Indigenous self-government.
Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Healthy People and Planet, University of Victoria
Specializations: Climate; environment; clean tech; energy; sustainability; security; social justice; equity; Indigenous-led scholarship; technology; health; wellbeing; aging; innovation; applied science; impact; public policy; knowledge mobilization; UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Studies, Vancouver Island University
Specializations: Indigenous education, reconciliation, indigenization, indigenous engagement.
Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Northern Policy, Yukon University
Specializations: Indigenous self-governance/self-determination; land claims, modern treaties, and ancestral lifeways; entrepreneurship in remote/rural communities; community economic development, northern decolonization, and decolonial business development northern public policy in the context of climate change; arctic sovereignty.
Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Research in the Field of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, McGill University
Specializations: Indigenous, Oral Health, Disparities, Determinants, Interventions, Colonization, Social Determinants, Trauma, Rural, Remote, Traditional, Knowledge, Training, Healers, Community-based, Participatory Research.
Concordia University, Indigenous Futures Research Centre
Kings University College at Western University, Social Justice and Peace Studies
McMaster University, Indigenous Studies Department
University of Alberta, Faculty of Law
University of Alberta, Faculty of Native Studies
University of Guelph, College of Social and Applied Human Sciences
University of Victoria
Vancouver Island University
Yukon University, Indigenous Governance Program
Awards should fall within the academic year and are not available for the summer months only.
All applicants must meet the Program eligibility requirements (click to review the requirements).
Applicants are encouraged to contact their preferred host institution to discuss research interests.
For additional information, please visit the Fulbright Canada website:
Research Chairs in Indigenous Studies
Fulbright Canada contact:
info@fulbright.ca
Host Contacts
Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Knowledges, Concordia University
Eli Friedland, Advisor, Institutional Equity and Recognition Initiatives, Office of Research
eli.friedland@concordia.ca
Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Justice and Reconciliation, King's University College at Western University
Academic Dean’s Office - Research Office
research@kings.uwo.ca
Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Scholarship, McMaster University
Robert Innes, Chair, Indigenous Studies Program
innesr3@mcmaster.ca
Savage Bear, Director, Indigenous Research Institute
miri@mcmaster.ca
Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Law and Legal Issues, University of Alberta
Ubaka Ogbogu, Associate Dean (Research), Faculty of Law
uogbogu@ualberta.ca
Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Native Peoples and Communities, University of Alberta
Adam Gaudry, Associate Dean (Research), Faculty of Native Studies
adam.gaudry@ualberta.ca
Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Public Policy and Criminal Justice, University of Guelph
Uwafiokun Idemudia, Dean, College of Social & Applied Human Sciences
csahsdean@uoguelph.ca
Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Healthy People and Planet, University of Victoria
Joaquin Trapero, Director, Strategic Research Initiatives
sridirector@uvic.ca
Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Studies, Vancouver Island University
Michael Quinn, Provost and Vice-President Academic
michael.quinn@viu.ca
Richard Horbachewski, Interim Associate Vice-President, University Relations
richard.horbachewski@viu.ca
Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Northern Policy, Yukon University
Andrew Richardson, Dean Faculty of Applied Arts
arichardson@yukonu.ca
Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Research in the Field of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, McGill University
Elham Emami, Dean, Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences
elham.emami@mcgill.ca
Research Chair Award Grantees to Canada receive a fixed sum:
US$25,000 for one semester (four months)
Canada has one of the strongest economies in the world and is consistently ranked as having a very high quality of life. However, it is not an inexpensive place to live. The average cost of living in Canada is US$2,200 per month. Note that Toronto is one of the most expensive cities to live in in Canada (US$4,000). And the cost of living in Montreal is among the lowest for major cities in Canada (US$1,600). For additional information about how much it will cost you to live in Canada, please see the Government of Canada webpage.
Fall Orientation: The incoming cohort of U.S. Fulbright students and scholars to Canada are invited to a program of professional and personal development in Canada’s national capital, Ottawa, Ontario (early September). Fulbright Canada covers local costs (accommodations, meals, activities). Up to C$1,000 is provided to reimburse travel expenses to the Fall Orientation in Ottawa, Ontario.
Visiting Scholar Speakers Program: Up to C$1,000 for travel expenses to a different city or region of Canada can be granted on a competitive basis. Through this program, the scholar may present at professional conferences, offer formal presentations at other Canadian post-secondary institutions, and/or provide lectures or briefings to community groups. Preference is given to applications with a robust agenda.
Fulbright Canada Community Action Program: Granted on a competitive basis, up to C$8,000 for a unique community-focused initiative that provides awards to both grantees and alumni in any area of community action.
Fulbright Canada Community Leadership Program: Granted on a competitive basis, up to C$8,000 for current grantees and alumni of U.S. government (USG) sponsored exchange programs, with ideas for creative community and volunteer-based outreach projects in Canada.
Regional Travel Program: During their grant period, Fulbright U.S. Scholars in the Western Hemisphere (WHA) region may apply for a short-term regional travel grant for activities such as workshops, seminars, presentations, lectures, performances, exhibits, curricular advising and similar projects at institutions in eligible WHA countries. (Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados and Eastern Caribbean, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, México, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and Uruguay).
The Regional Travel Program covers travel to and from the destination; lodging may be offered by the host institution. Scholars may only apply for this grant once they are in country on their Fulbright grant. Scholars who apply for the Flex award are ineligible for the Regional Travel Program. Additional information can be found on the Regional Travel Program website.
Final grant amounts will be determined prior to the start of the academic year and are subject to the availability of funds. The United States Department of State and the Fulbright Commission in the host country reserve the right to alter, without notice, participating countries, number of awards and allowances.
Canada
To learn more about Fulbright U.S. Scholar awards in Canada for 2025-26, please view our archived webinar and slides to hear directly from the Fulbright Commission, IIE staff and U.S. Scholar alums regarding award details, the scholar experience and application guidance.
Canada is home to one of the most highly educated populations in the world. Canadian universities, institutes, and internationally renowned think tanks support innovative and collaborative research. They are typically situated in vibrant multicultural cities, in proximity to Canada’s diverse natural landscapes – making for an extraordinary professional and cultural experience. While Canada and the United States share a continent, deeply-held core values, and numerous points of collaboration, the two countries have distinct historical, cultural, and political realities.
Please visit the Universities Canada website for more information about Canada’s higher-educational institutions.
You could spend a lifetime exploring Canada’s cities and towns, national parks, lakes, ocean shores, and mountains. Whether you’re looking to stroll along a beach in British Columbia, learn more about Francophone culture, hike in the Rocky Mountains at Banff National Park, or visit Indigenous heritage and cultural centres, there is an opportunity to embrace Canada for all it has to offer!
During your grant period, you will get to know Canada—the people, languages, culture, food, climate, and so much more. You’ll quickly learn that Canada offers you a safe and secure place to live, work and travel. Canada consistently ranks among the top countries in the world for quality of life.
Canada is a utopia for anyone looking to get active in the great outdoors. Due to the unique climate that each season brings and its geographic diversity, you’ll have the perfect setting for almost any sport, exercise, or activity you may want:
In the summer, you can go boating on one of the many lakes, swim in the ocean, or play beach volleyball. It’s also a great season to be a tourist in Canada by exploring one of the many national parks, visiting local beaches, dining out on a restaurant patio soaking up the sun, or enjoying a bonfire with friends.
During the fall, you’ll love exploring the countryside to see the splendor of the autumn leaves, hiking up a mountain or through a park on a crisp day and generally enjoying the outdoors with your friends. Fall is also a great time to explore Canada’s vibrant cities and historic towns.
Once winter comes, it’s time to grab your snow gear and join in some great Canadian fun! You can learn to ski or snowshoe, build a snowman, have a snowball fight with your friends, or simply enjoy the peaceful sound of walking through the quiet winter woods.
Spring is a time for renewal in Canada, as the birds return from the south and flowers bloom in the gardens. It’s also “sugaring off” season, where you’ll discover how sap is collected and boiled to create 70% of the world’s maple syrup. The best part? Eating maple taffy poured hot on snow.
The Canadians you meet will impress you all year long with their warmth. Enjoy this opportunity to get to know Canadians and introduce your culture.
Multiculturalism is fundamental to Canadian identity. Not only does Canada have two official languages (English and French), Canadian culture includes people and cultures from around the world. The Canadian Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, enshrined in the Constitution, prohibits discrimination. Each province and territory in Canada also have respective human rights codes. Canadians have a strong sense of justice and care about ensuring people’s rights are upheld in all facets of their lives. A commitment to equality makes Canada a sought-after destination for international students and immigrants.
Visit our Scholar Directory to view and search all Fulbright alumni. You can also learn more about Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors.
Candidates may be considered for other Fulbright Canada award opportunities as appropriate. Identify host institutions in order of preference in the project statement and on the application form.
Most award themes are interdisciplinary; check other Fulbright Canada Research Chair awards for additional opportunities.
Academics are expected to hold a Ph.D. or terminal degree, and professionals should have equivalent experience.