Black Research Network members receive Connaught New Researcher Awards

Seven members of the Black Research Network have received Connaught New Researcher Awards for 2024-25. 

Provided annually, Connaught New Researcher Awards support early-stage researchers across disciplines, with the goal of enhancing their competitiveness for external funding. The awards are part of the Connaught Fund, Canada’s largest internal university research funding program. 

In total, 50 University of Toronto faculty members received Connaught New Researcher Awards this year. 

The BRN members who received the award are:  

• Myrtede Alfred, department of mechanical and industrial engineering, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Designing for a healthier future: Adapting existing design approaches to support health equity across the patient journey 

• Comfort Azubuko-Udah, department of English, Faculty of Arts & Science – Unread Spaces: African Narratives Beyond Spectacle and Charismatic Spatiality 

• Nicole Bernhardt, department of political science, U of T Scarborough – “All Rights Matter”? Racism, Policing, and Human Rights Reform 

• Nisrin Omer Elamin, department of anthropology, Faculty of Arts & Science – Stratified Enclosures: Land, Gulf Capital and Empire-Making in Central Sudan 

• Marlene Koffi, department of economics, Faculty of Arts & Science – Early Career Opportunities, Network Effects and Inequality in Science: Evidence from predoctoral Programs in Economics 

• Tosen Nwadei, department of management, U of T Scarborough – The shadow of slavery: Intertemporal connection boosts White Americans’ support for restitution following learning about historical racial injustice and present racial disparities 

• Tyeshia Redden, department of geography & planning, Faculty of Arts & Science – Black Olympic Displacement: The Cases of Atlanta, Rio de Janeiro, and Paris