We're very pleased to announce that PhD Student, Milad Moghaddas, is the 2024-25 recipient of the Vivienne Poy Chancellor's Fellowship in the Humanities and Social Sciences (OSOTF) which is awarded on the basis of academic merit to a master’s or PhD student in the humanities or social sciences at the Faculty of Arts & Science. This award is named in recognition of the Honourable Dr. Vivienne Poy who served as chancellor of the University from 2003 to 2006, and has made outstanding contrbutions to education at institutions across Canada, including the University of Toronto, McGill University, York University, Simon Fraser University and Seneca College.
When asked about this fellowship and what it means to him, Milad spoke eloquently about his passion and perserverence, as well as the person who helped him nurture these qualities:
"I am deeply appreciative to the CIRHR for nominating me for this scholarship, and to the Faculty of Arts and Science at-large for selecting me as the recipient. Growing up in a single-parent, low-income household, and being a First-Generation student, I encountered many obstacles to ultimately pursuing my doctoral studies. Despite having very little as a minimum wage employee, my mother instilled in me the power of passion and perseverance. Receiving the Vivienne Poy Fellowship is not only an affirmation of that power, but it will allow me to focus my efforts on crafting impactful research that can benefit both organizations and society at-large... I look forward to devoting this year to honing in on my research agenda around understanding how organizations and leaders can design workplaces that are conducive to employee well-being. I will also continue to work on some work-in-progress publications, and lay the foundations for my dissertation topic."