Amber Rose Johnson
Amber is a writer, artist, and cultural worker from Providence, Rhode Island (USA) who has recently relocated to Montreal. She is a recent graduate of the English and Africana Studies PhD program at the University of Pennsylvania and is currently a McGill Third Century Postdoctoral Fellow in the department of English. She is a scholar and practitioner dedicated to Black Study and her primary research foci are contemporary experimental poetry and performance. Amber Rose is also a strength trainer and sports performance coach and is especially interested in movement-inflected work, guided by forms of embodied knowledge. She will transition to an Assistant Professor of English at McGill in Fall 2024.
Jayne Malenfant
Jayne (they/she) is from Kapuskasing, Ontario, but is currently living in Tio'tia:ke/Montréal, where they are a McGill Third Century fellow in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education. Their work looks at intersections of education and homelessness, with a focus on lived experience leadership and activism. Jayne is mentored by Yale D. Belanger and Katherine Maurer.
A word from Jayne
I have been so grateful to have the support of the McGill Third Century Fellowship. It has been a game changer in how I am able to show up within my community to undertake research that has a tangible social impact. Key supports and mentorship across disciplines, as well as the companionship of amazing fellow scholars, have shifted how I am able to learn, understand, and mobilize knowledge as an early career researcher.
I have faith that this program can have significant impact for innovative research within communities most impacted by social issues. Through the M3C Fellowship I have been able to disseminate research findings across academic and non-academic spaces, as well as engage in methodologies that support people who are experiencing or have experienced homelessness in their own learning trajectories.
Tanya Matthews
Tanya is a postdoctoral research fellow in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders at McGill University. Her current research interest lies in conducting ethnographical studies to document the oral language and preliteracy practices in the homes of children in low-income families. She is currently conducting this ethnographic study in the black communities in the Montreal area. Tanya is mentored by Khan Bouba and Emmanuel Tabi.
A word from Tanya
I was excited to learn that I received the McGill Third Century Fellowship. This fellowship has given me a starting point to focus on my research interest and has permitted me the opportunity to develop research that will support black communities. It has also provided me with guidance and invaluable support which has allowed the advancement in my research academically and locally.
My research examines the oral language and literacy practices used in the homes of young children from Black communities.
This research is key to understanding the fundamental aspects of the home literacy environment of this community which will allow for the development of culturally and linguistically responsive language and literacy screenings and assessments which will prevent over and under diagnosis of children from this community.
Milka Nyariro
Milka is a McGill Third Century Postdoctoral Fellow in the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences & Department of Family Medicine at McGill University. Her postdoctoral research focuses on integrating Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Artificial Intelligence for Health and Oral Health Care. Her research interest spans addressing gender-based violence in and around schools, women’s economic empowerment and social well-being, advocating for the integration of equity, diversity and inclusion in research, implementation, and teaching. Idem with Milka’s mentors. Milka is mentored by Golnoosh Farnadi and Joelle Pineau.
A word from Milka
Navigating the academic pathways can be challenging, especially for the visible minority, like me, who embody an intersection of identities that act as barriers to their entry into academia. The McGill Third Century (M3C) Fellowship has offered me the platform to transition from PhD to academia.
First, through the M3C fellowship, I have been able to expand my research to explore issues of social (in)justice from educational settings to that of application of digital technologies in health and oral healthcare. Secondly, I have had the privilege of working under the mentorship of an interdisciplinary team of Dr. Elham Emami, Dean and Professor, Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences and Dr. Samira Rahimi, Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine, who are leaders in their fields of Oral Health and EDI and Artificial Intelligence, respectively and through them, be able to expand my experience and professional networks.
Both Dean Emami and Dr. Rahimi’s continued efforts to advance EDI initiatives in their respective fields and commitment in supporting early career women academics from underrepresented groups has offered me the opportunity to horn my skills in grant writing, student supervision, and manuscript development among other requirements for a successful future academic career. Finally, the M3C Fellowship has offered me the needed financial support that enables me to fully focus on my research. I wish to thank the office of the Vice Provost–Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for this noble initiative that will support the unconventional candidates who would ordinarily be excluded in academia as a result of both personal and systemic barriers.