In 2023, Dr. Marielle Papin, assistant professor of political science, was awarded a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Urban Wellness (Urban Policy and Governance) for her research into the role of cities and other transnational actors in governance collaboration.
In addition to her role as a Canada Research Chair, Dr. Papin has also received John R. Evans Leaders Funding from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI), MacEwan’s first CFI award. Dr. Papin will also be the director of MacEwan’s Research Institute for Urban Wellness, which was approved by the General Faculties Council in February 2024.
Dr. Marielle Papin
Tier 2 Canada Research Chair
Urban Wellness (Urban Policy and Governance)
Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Economics and Political Science
“I have been working on urban climate governance and looking at how cities—especially cities in different countries—work together to enhance their climate policies through networks,” says Dr. Papin. “This has a lot to do with urban wellness, but focuses on the climate aspect of it.”
As a Canada Research Chair, Dr. Papin will be able to expand her research, hire student research assistants and create a database of her findings to facilitate global connections and contribute to an international community of innovators and problem solvers in the field.
“We’re trying to be comprehensive of all the initiatives that cities have collectively created or joined that are related to urban wellness. An important part of it is how cities from different countries decide to exchange information and collaborate on issues such as climate, the environment and health,” says Dr. Papin. “Cities do not always have the resources on their own to tackle those issues, so they look for answers locally and internationally.”
Here in Edmonton, Dr. Papin is looking at the issue of urban wellness as encompassing health, environment, housing and systemic racism, as well as the urban policy and governance intervention that is being put in place to tackle those issues and ensure residents are able to live well in the city.
About the Canada Research Chairs program
The Canada Research Chairs program invests up to $311 million per year to attract and retain some of the world’s most accomplished and promising minds. Chairholders aim to achieve research excellence in engineering and the natural sciences, health sciences, humanities and social sciences.