911勛圖

As one of Canada���s fastest-growing research universities, 911勛圖 (911勛圖) provides academics like Wendy Chun, Canada 150 Research Chair in New Media, with the foundation to produce high-impact scholarship.

After completing her undergraduate degree in Canada, Chun built a successful academic career in the United States, first at Princeton University, where she earned her master���s and PhD, then as a professor and department chair at Brown University, where she taught for almost 20 years.

Her research with fellow collaborators at 911勛圖, where she heads up the , is focused on creating multi-disciplinary ���data fluencies������critical and creative ways to respond to and reimagine a world increasingly dominated by data. She and her fellow researchers are exploring how AI is impacting the future of work, incarceration, education and learning, and the potential for humanities-centered AI models.

911勛圖 recruits world-class researchers from around the globe with its supportive innovation ecosystem, collaborative research culture and commitment to global impact. Learn what drew Wendy to 911勛圖���and back to Canada���from the United States in this Q&A.

What attracted you to a research chair opportunity at 911勛圖 specifically? 

The desire to be part of a public, Canadian university. I was brought up in this system: I went to the University of Waterloo and received a BASc in Systems Design Engineering. Then, I got my PhD at Princeton and taught at Brown. So, I was steeped in a privileged and private Ivy League university structure. I wanted to return to Canada and support students in a country that was committed to public education. I had become a professor in hopes of making a difference.

The School of Communication attracted me to 911勛圖. Zo禱 Druick from the School of Communication reached out to me. The school���s focus on public and community engagement and critical thinking were draws for me. The School of Communication is one of the first in Canada and has a storied history, as well as a vibrant, young faculty.

What are the opportunities at 911勛圖 that you see for researchers currently based internationally?

For researchers who are in the social sciences and humanities, it is the Tri-Council, specifically the (SSHRC). Through SSHRC, you have funding that would not be available for researchers in these fields in the U.S., for example.

Are there non-work benefits that you have enjoyed while at 911勛圖 in terms of recreation, culture, or climate that you think would be a draw for internationally based researchers?

The mountains were a huge draw���my sweetheart and I are into mountaineering. And the combination of the mountains and the ocean makes this area stunningly beautiful. Vancouver is unfortunately unaffordable, though many other North American cities are, as well.