Alfred and Isabel Bader have continually shown their generous support for Queen’s University and one of their most recent gifts is coming to fruition.

The first Bader Postdoctoral Fellowships in the Humanities have brought 11 new scholars to Queen’s starting this fall and over the next two years they will teach courses as well as pursue a research program building on their doctoral research.

“The presence of these emerging, exceptional  teachers and scholars at Queen’s will enrich the student learning experience, and enliven teaching and research activity across the humanities,”  says Gordon E. Smith, Vice-Dean, Faculty of Arts and Science.

The 10 departments in the Faculty of Arts and Science and the appointees and their area of study, are: 

• Art History: Jen Kennedy (PhD, Binghamton University, 2014) – Art, Spectacle and Femininity in Postwar France
• Classics: Cristian Tolsa: (PhD, University of Barcelona, 2013) – Ancient Science and Greek and Roman Philosophy
• Drama and Music: Monique Giroux (PhD, York University, 2014) – Music and the Articulation and Representation of Métis Identity
• English: Emma Peacocke (PhD, Carleton University, 2013) – Literary Romanticism and the Discourse of University Reform in Britain and Canada
• Film and Media: Tracy Zhang (PhD. Simon Fraser University, 2012) – Critical Media Studies and Global Cultural Industries
• French Studies: Julien Lefort-Favreau (PhD, Université de Montréal, 2013) – French Autobiography and Politics (1960s to the present)
• History: Vanessa Cook (PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison) – US History and Contemporary Public Protests
• Languages, Literatures, and Cultures: Jennifer Hardwick (PhD, Queen’s University, 2015) – Literary Voices and Indigenous Youth
• Philosophy: Anthony Fisher (PhD, Syracuse University, 2012) – Metaphysics; History of Philosophy
• School of Religion: Sharday Mosurinjohn (PhD, Queen’s University, 2015) – Contemporary Religious Movements; Christopher Byrne (PhD, McGill University, 2015) – Chinese Religions

For Dr. Giroux, an ethnomusicologist, the fellowship will allow her to gain valuable experience and continue her research into the ways in which music is used within the Metis culture.

“For me it’s a really important stepping stone in my career and also a really important opportunity to do additional research,” she says. “A lot of us go into academics because we enjoy the research aspects of it and once you finish your PhD it can be difficult to get the resources in order to continue that research.”

An event celebrating the Bader Postdoctoral Fellows is planned for the fall.

Alfred Bader (Sc’45, Arts’46, MSc’47, LLD’86) and Isabel Bader (LLD’07) are Queen’s most generous benefactors. They have given back to Queen’s in countless ways: transforming the campus, enriching the student experience, supporting scholarship, and helping to enhance the University’s reputation as a top-tier educational institution. In an extraordinary philanthropic gesture, the couple funded Queen’s purchase of a 15th century English castle – Herstmonceux – that has been meticulously restored and is now home to the Bader International Study Centre. Last fall, thanks to a transformational gift from the Baders, the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts was opened.