Welcome New Education Academics
The Faculty of Education would like to extend a warm welcome to three new members of our academic team who joined us in January 2024. We look forward to collaborating with them and hearing more about their unique areas of expertise.
Bruno da Costa
Assistant Professor, Department of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE)
Dr. da Costa grew up in Florianópolis, Brazil, where he completed his bachelor's degree (2009-2013) in Physical Education at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. At the same university, Dr. da Costa completed his M.Sc. (2015-2017) and Ph.D. (2017-2020) in Physical Education. During his doctoral studies, Dr. da Costa spent nine months (2020) as a visiting research student at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute and the University of Ottawa. Between 2021 and 2023, Dr. da Costa worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at Nipissing University.
Dr. da Costa's research focuses on physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep in different population subgroups, including the investigation of sociodemographic, behavioural, and psychosocial correlates and determinants of these behaviours. Additionally, his work explores how diverse behavioural patterns relate to health outcomes.
Philippe Dixon
Assistant Professor, Department of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE)
Philippe Dixon's research focuses on the analysis of human movement biomechanics, such as running, using motion capture systems and wearable devices, with the aim of improving the health and mobility of patients and athletes. He is also very active in the application of machine learning techniques for the detection and prediction of physiological events and states, and in the development of software for data analysis. Previously, Dr. Dixon worked as an Assistant Professor at the University of Montreal and as a biomedical data and artificial intelligence researcher at Hexoskin, a smart-garment start-up. He has successfully collaborated on recent projects with Sylvan Adams Sports Science Institute (SASSI) members Dr. Julie Côté and Dr. Dennis Jensen.
Dr. Dixon earned his PhD in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford and completed his post-doctoral fellowship at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University. He is also an alumnus of McGill University, having completed his B.Sc. in Physics and M.Sc. in Biomechanics in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education.
Michelle Smith
Assistant Professor (CAS), Department of Educational & Counselling Psychology (ECP)
Michelle Smith is a Red River Michif educator and filmmaker born and raised in St. James, Manitoba. She is a member of the Manitoba Métis Federation. She has worked in Indigenous education for more than a decade as a teacher, advocate, researcher, mentor, and program developer at Quebec colleges and in community contexts. She is Principal Investigator for the First Peoples Post-Secondary Storytelling Exchange and coordinated the Journeys First Peoples Transition program at Dawson College for four years. She is a Vanier scholar and PhD Candidate in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education at McGill. Her doctoral research involves co-constructing creative teaching and learning spaces that promote healing and cultural connection.
She is partnering with Kativik Ilisarniliriniq (Nunavik School Board) and Inuit youth to co-develop an Inuit arts and culture college degree program in Nunavik, northern Quebec. Broad research interests include arts-based, storytelling and Métis methodologies, community-based education, youth agency, decolonizing practices, and Indigenous educational sovereignty.
