Summary Information Jackman Scholars-in-Residence (SiR) is an intensive, 4-week paid research opportunity in humanities and social sciences for upper-year undergraduates. SiR provides students with an opportunity to acquire advanced research skills and experience while collaborating with an interdisciplinary and intellectually vibrant community of peers, professors, and research professionals. Students selected for SiR work as Research Assistants in small teams on projects led by professors. Students also share group activities including multidisciplinary workshops on research methodologies, standards, protocol, and professional communication; cultural events; and talks featuring professionals such as lawyers, policymakers, and documentary filmmakers that highlight research-intensive career trajectories. Eligible students must apply by February 23, 2026, and be selected to work on one of the projects listed below.
Eligibility Eligible undergraduate students are those currently in second year or higher (i.e., 9.0 credits completed by May 2026) in any program in the Faculty of Arts & Science, the Faculty of Music, the Faculty of Information, or the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at St. George, or at UTM or UTSC, with a minimum CGPA of 3.0.
DETAILED SCHOLAR-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM INFORMATION
UTSG 02 | Nadia Caidi & Simon Coleman | Securitizing the Sacred: Mapping Pilgrimage Mobilities, Data Justice, and Transnational Governance
We examine issues of data justice—how the production of digital data renders certain groups visible—and mobility that underpin socio-technical infrastructures of religious journeying. We will create the first map of data governance strategies at major pilgrimage sites around the world. Student RAs will be trained in digital mapping (ARCGiS) and will gather data policies connected with different pilgrimage sites from various religious traditions. The research team will use collaborative mapping to analyze data governance across pilgrimage settings, and draft recommendations for various stakeholders. No previous expertise is required for this project, which moves across information science, geography, anthropology, sociology, law, religious studies, and data librarianship.
UTSG 11 | Amira Mittermaier | Lived Theologies during the Gaza Genocide
This project focuses on lived Islamic theologies in Gaza post-October 7. It seeks to examine how Gazan Muslims have been thinking about God and practicing Islam at a time of unfathomable destruction and loss. The project is supervised by an anthropologist with extensive research experience in Egypt and assisted by two research assistants who have been conducting interviews with Gazan refugees in Cairo and Toronto. The SiR team will contribute to the project by analyzing Gazan theological reflections in social media sources since October 2023. Some familiarity with anthropology, religious studies, and/or Islamic Studies is welcome but not required. Proficiency in Arabic will be a key asset.
UTSC 05 | Guldana Salimjan | Digitizing Settler Colonial Histories in China’s Northwestern Frontier
Student RAs will work on a digital humanities project that documents the history of paramilitary garrison towns in China’s northwestern frontier through state-produced gazetteers. RAs will digitize, index, translate tables of contents, and tag Chinese-language sources; build searchable metadata; and contribute to an interactive map and timeline. Students will practice source criticism and discourse analysis to examine how colonial governance, security, and land reclamation are represented in state texts. Fluency in reading Mandarin Chinese and academic English is required. Experience with digital humanities tools, data management, or archival work is highly desirable.