photo credit: Sylvain Légaré/PETF
Carleton University doctoral student, Fahad Ahmad is one of 15 recipients of a unique doctoral scholarship in the social sciences and humanities presented by The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation.
“I am honoured and thrilled to be awarded the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholarship for 2018,” says Ahmad. “Being part of the foundation community brings me in contact with policy experts and academics whose insights will enrich my PhD dissertation. The public engagement emphasis of the foundation will help broaden the reach of my findings as I examine how security policies shape the work of civil society organizations. I am grateful for the steadfast support of my supervisor, Prof. Frances Abele, dissertation committee members, Prof. Jeffrey Monaghan and Prof. Susan Phillips, as well as other faculty and staff at the School of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton.”
Ahmad’s research examines how counter-radicalization policies impact the work of nonprofit and community organizations serving Muslim communities in Canada and the United Kingdom.
Community and nonprofit organizations that work with Muslim communities find themselves playing a focal role in delivering counter-radicalization programs on behalf of state institutions. Despite being implicated in counter-radicalization efforts, there is limited empirical and theoretical research exploring how these organizations are affected by being drawn into counter-radicalization efforts. This research comes at a time that the Canadian government is establishing a national counter-radicalization strategy to provide federal leadership on tackling the issue of radicalization leading to violence.
“Congratulations to Fahad, who is the first student in the history of the Faculty of Public Affairs to be named a Trudeau Foundation Scholar,” says André Plourde, dean of the Faculty of Public Affairs. “His research, which examines how counter-radicalization policies affect non-profit and community organizations, will provide important insights into this urgent issue. He is a great asset to our School of Public Policy and Administration.”
The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholars are exceptional students who have distinguished themselves through academic excellence and civic engagement. Focusing on important questions for Canada and the world, they are researching areas as diverse as literature, environmental sciences, urban planning, archeology, public health, communications, public health, education, political science and law. The cohort joins a multidisciplinary network of over 400 researchers, outstanding intellectuals, and seasoned decision-makers committed to applying their knowledge to pressing issues.
Since 2003, Ahmad is the second scholarship recipient nominated by Carleton and the first from School of Public Policy and Administration. The first foundation scholar nominated by Carleton was May Chazan from the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies in 2006.
Ahmad has received the Social Science Humanities and Research Council’s Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Studies Doctoral Scholarship for his doctoral dissertation. Prior to starting his PhD, Ahmad was Interim CEO of Soliya, an innovative nonprofit that uses new technologies to mobilize young people from Muslim and western societies with the aim of fostering greater crosscultural understanding. Ahmad continues to work as a nonprofit consultant and presently chairs the board of directors of Thousand Currents, an international organization that supports grassroots initiatives.
“The school is incredibly proud of Fahad’s accomplishments,” says Graeme Auld, director of the School of Public Policy and Administration. “His research exemplifies our collective vision for what research ought to accomplish. We are driven to understand pressing, contemporary issues to offer probing analysis and practical solutions that can inform government policy and the activities of community organizations that are trying to make a difference. I know Fahad will be a stellar Trudeau Scholar, and I am equally sure that the support this opportunity provides will amplify and strengthen his PhD work.”
About the Foundation Scholarships
Over their three-year doctoral scholarship, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation scholars work with an engaged and inspiring community of fellows, mentors and other scholars who support their professional growth. Scholars’ $60,000 annual scholarship package includes a $20,000 annual travel and networking allowance that facilitates scholars’ fieldwork and helps them organize and participate in research initiatives, conferences and foundation events. Since the program’s inception in 2003, the foundation has awarded 232 scholarships for an investment of nearly $24 million in Canada’s intellectual leadership. The call for applications for the 2019 scholarship competition will open in the fall of 2018.
About the Foundation
The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation is an independent and nonpartisan charity established in 2001 as a living memorial to the former prime minister by his family, friends and colleagues. In 2002, with the support of the House of Commons, the Government of Canada endowed the foundation with the Advanced Research in the Humanities and Human Sciences Fund. The foundation also benefits from private donations. By granting doctoral scholarships, awarding fellowships, appointing mentors and holding public events, the foundation encourages critical reflection and action in four areas important to Canadians: human rights and dignity, responsible citizenship, Canada’s role in the world and people and their natural environment.
Thursday, June 21, 2018 in Awards, News, Research
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