Give to Gain: How Canada Research Chairs are making an Impact

Royal Roads University celebrates the achievements and contributions of women in the Royal Roads community and the important work they do year-round to advance conversations about women's empowerment, gender equity, science, leadership and inclusion.

This year, the United Nation's theme for International Women's Day on March 8 is "Give to Gain," which focuses on the power of reciprocity and support.

We're highlighting three Canada Research Chairs at RRU, each of whom is doing research that has a positive impact locally and globally, for women and for all people.

Visit the International Women's Day web page for more voices, resources and events.

Digital Misinformation, Polarization & Anti-Social Media

Dr. Jaigris Hodson is the Canada Research Chair in Digital Misinformation, Polarization and Anti-Social Media. Her research takes an interdisciplinary approach to understanding how the technologies we use to communicate heighten our vulnerabilities to misinformation, polarization and other on- and offline anti-social behaviors.

Hodson uses novel, field-building approaches to map the relationships between polarization, misinformation and online harassment, and to facilitate democratic communication.

Learn more about Hodson's research and impact:

• Social media censorship
• Our new media landscape
• What pushes people to online extremes
• Coldplay controversy and online harassment
• Using chatbots to practice difficult conversations
• Navigating conversations about misinformation

Reimagining Capitalism

Dr. Julie MacArthur is the Canada Research Chair in Reimagining Capitalism. Her work investigates the political economy of low carbon transitions, with a particular focus on how grassroots and community-led initiatives can scale up to make radical and transformative impacts to both adaptation and mitigation. She has published widely on community energy initiatives in Canada and New Zealand, on participatory policy design, Green New Deal politics, and the gendered employment trends across energy sub-sectors.

Learn more about MacArthur's research and impact:

• How a low-carbon transition could drive a shift to energy democracy
• Energy diversification
• Future of Capitalism course asks students to take global perspectives
• Another COP, is there anything to show for it?
• How a low-carbon transition could drive a shift to energy democracy
• EDI and climate action are needed now

Advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Dr. Tracy Smith-Carrier is the Canada Research Chair in Advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Smith-Carrier's program of research, grounded in a rights-based framework, touches upon many different fields in the social policy arena including access to income and food security, social assistance receipt, disability justice, intersectional disparities, health in/equities, and basic income. She is currently co-organizing and co-directing the Scientific Committee for the upcoming international Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) Congress.

Learn more about Smith-Carrier's research and impact:

• Advocating for basic income
• Canada's responsibility to address poverty
• A basic income guarantee for mental health
• High cost-of-living calls for basic income guarantee

Visit RRU's International Women's Day page for more info, videos and resources.