Alumni

Canada–U.S. Relations Enter “Second Century” as New Commission Launches Amid Converging Economic and Security Pressures

admin — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 13:51:43 +0000

(WASHINGTON – April 30, 2026) — As economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions and shifting trade dynamics reshape North America, a new binational commission has been launched to explore the future of Canada–U.S. relations.

Co-chaired by former Canadian cabinet minister, Lisa Raitt, and former U.S. congresswoman, Jane Harman, the Commission for the Second Century of Canada-U.S. Relations will bring together senior leaders and policy experts from both countries to develop a new strategic agenda for long-term, bilateral cooperation.

Director Jennifer Welsh appointed Distinguished James ɬ�﷬ Professor

admin — Thu, 07 May 2026 19:01:03 +0000

Director of the Max Bell School of Public Policy, Jennifer Welsh, has been newly appointed as a Distinguished James ɬ�﷬ Professor. This award is ɬ�﷬’s highest honor. It recognizes sustained scholarly and research achievements of accomplished professors, and is reserved only for those who are recognized as international leaders in their fields.

ɬ�﷬’s Trottier Institute for Science and Public Policy announces Nicholas B. King as Associate Director, Rhonda Moore as Professor of Practice

admin — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 18:54:07 +0000

Nicholas B. King has been named the Associate Director of the Trottier Institute for Science and Public Policy at ɬ�﷬, where he holds appointments in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences’ School of Population and Global Health and the Faculty of Arts’ Max Bell School of Public Policy.

Beyond Birth Rates: Advancing a Pro-Alignment Approach to Low Fertility in North America

amanda.manocchio@mcgill.ca — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 14:16:41 +0000

Worried about low and declining birth rates? Is there really a fertility “crisis”?

Prof. Shelley Clark Honoured with Arts Research Distinction

claire.ward@mcgill.ca — Thu, 21 May 2026 15:08:07 +0000

This award recognises Prof' Clark exceptionally rigorous and innovative quantitative research, spanning multiple regions and decades.

Read the full article on the Faculty of Arts website.

Prof. Eidlin on the future for Québec’s Labour Movement

claire.ward@mcgill.ca — Tue, 19 May 2026 20:31:08 +0000

Sociologist and labour expert Professor Barry Eidlin was recently invited to address the delegates of the États généraux du syndicalisme (EGS, Estates-General of Québec Labour).

Read the full article with his reflections from attending the two-day symposium in April 2026 on the Faculty of Arts news website.

Prof. Skyler Wang's work on AI companionship featured in The Atlantic

claire.ward@mcgill.ca — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 20:11:37 +0000

Prof. Skyler Wang's recently published Social Media + Society article on "on-demand" intimacy was featured in The Atlantic.

Read the article on The Atlantic website.

Prof. Skyler Wang wins the Computational & Data Systems Institute's 2026 Convergent Research Themes (CRT) Program Grant

claire.ward@mcgill.ca — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 17:40:32 +0000

Together with co-PI Prof. Claire Boone (Economics & DEEP), Prof. Skyler Wang’s project, "Gender, Choice, and Trust in AI-Mediated Mental Health Care," has been awarded a $10,000 grant to investigate how perceptions of therapeutic chatbots' gender shape trust, user experience, and patterns of engagement.

Read more about the Computational and Data Systems Institute's 2026 Exploratory Phase Recipients.

ɬ�﷬ Sociology in the Senate

claire.ward@mcgill.ca — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 21:25:03 +0000

Prof. Barry Eidlin of ɬ�﷬'s Department of Sociology was recently invited to testify before the Canadian Senate's Committee on Transportation and Communications.

Drawing on over two decades of research into Canadian and U.S. labour relations, Prof. Eidlin's remarks focused on how back-to-work orders are an ineffective tool, as well as the importance of respecting Charter-protected rights.

Don’t Panic: Population Projection is not a Crystal Ball

claire.ward@mcgill.ca — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:47:03 +0000

In response to the growing alarmism around the so-called "demographic cliff," Clark and colleagues explain population projections and why most demographers are not panicking.

Read the article here: Don’t Panic: Population Projection is not a Crystal Ball

Orsola Torrisi awarded Anne Shepherd Prize from British Society for Population Studies

claire.ward@mcgill.ca — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 20:59:33 +0000

Congratulations to Orsola Torrisi, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and member of ɬ�﷬’s Centre for Population Dynamics (CPD), on receiving the Anne Shepherd New Investigator Award from the British Society for Population Studies.

FRQSC grant awarded to Prof. Isabel Pike

claire.ward@mcgill.ca — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 19:21:14 +0000

The FRQSC has awarded Isabel Pike, Assistant Professor in ɬ�﷬’s Department of Sociology , a research grant through their Research Support for New Academics competition.

The grant spans three years and will go towards Pike’s project “The Demographic Dividend and the Re-Economization of Population.”

SSHRC Insight Development Grant awarded to Prof. Wang

claire.ward@mcgill.ca — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 20:09:06 +0000

Prof. Skyler Wang has been awarded a SSHRC Insight Development Grant for his research on the growing integration of AI into dating apps.

Congratulations to Christopher Dietzel (Concordia), Stefanie Duguay (Concordia), David Myles (INRS) and Prof. Wang on receiving funding for this project.

Chih-lan (Winnie) Yang receives Arts Insight Dissertation Award

claire.ward@mcgill.ca — Thu, 22 May 2025 18:10:20 +0000

Former Sociology graduate student Chih-lan (Winnie) Yang, who defended in 2024, has been awarded the Arts Insight Dissertation Award for her dissertation “Marriage, Cohabitation, and Family among Sexual and Gender Minorities in Post-Marriage Equality Canada.” The award was officially conferred at the Arts Faculty Council Meeting on May 20.

In a large faculty like Arts this is a major accomplishment and speaks to the rigorous and high-quality work of our students.

Congratulations to Winnie!

Visiting Justice in Sociology of Law

claire.ward@mcgill.ca — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 18:30:30 +0000

SOCI 395: Sociology of Law was honoured to welcome Supreme Court Justice Andromache Karakatsanis as a guest lecturer this past Winter 2025 semester.

Justice Karakatsanis shared reflections on her career trajectory and spoke to the relationship between law and society.