Thompson Rivers University (TRU) researchers have secured nearly $595,000 in funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) through a series of federal funding competitions supporting research on topics ranging from immigration and the gig economy to HIV stigma, outdoor recreation and community resilience.
Five of the awards were announced July 21 through SSHRC’s 2025 Insight Grants, Partnership Development Grants, Partnership Grants and 2026 Insight Development Grants competitions. A sixth award, a $50,000 SSHRC Connection Grant, was announced earlier this year.
Together, the six projects support research that strengthens communities, informs public policy and addresses pressing social, economic and environmental challenges.
“SSHRC support for TRU researchers is critical to building human-centred research that responds to real-world issues, builds strong partnerships and creates meaningful impact for communities in British Columbia and across Canada,” said Vice-President, Research Shannon Wagner.
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry Karim Bardeesy says “Research in the social sciences and humanities is the cornerstone of a resilient, forward-thinking society. This announcement reflects our deep commitment to Canadian research. By supporting these projects, we are empowering scholars to develop the vital insights and collaborative solutions needed to build a more resilient, equitable and innovative future for everyone.”
SSHRC is the federal research funding agency that supports post-secondary research and training in the humanities and social sciences. Its funding helps researchers generate new knowledge while strengthening connections between academia, community organizations and decision-makers.
SSHRC-funded projects
Dr. Hui Zhang: Career 2.0: reinventing work in Canada’s booming gig economy, $72,186 SSHRC Insight Development Grant
The research will examine how gig workers navigate career development and the factors that shape career opportunities in Canada’s growing gig economy.
Dr. Jenny Shaw: Intersections of Policy, Racism, and Precarity in Canada’s Evolving Home Care Worker Programs, $199,985 SSHRC Partnership Development Grant
The research will examine how Canada’s Home Care Worker Immigration Pilot shapes the experiences of migrant care workers seeking permanent residence through surveys, community-based research and policy analysis.
Dr. Mahed Choudhury: Socially just wildfire re-entry process to strengthen community resilience in British Columbia, $92,650 SSHRC Insight Development Grant
The project will examine wildfire re-entry processes in British Columbia and identify opportunities to improve community resilience and emergency management following evacuations.
Dr. Patrick Brouder: Human flourishing in times of change: the role of outdoor recreation and tourism for sociocultural wellbeing in British Columbia, $50,000 SSHRC Connection Grant
The project will bring together Indigenous youth, community leaders, students, researchers and sector partners to examine how outdoor recreation and tourism can support community wellbeing and resilience as communities respond to climate change.
Dr. Tanya Manning-Lewis: Between welcome and reality: a longitudinal multi-institutional study of racialized international graduate students’ engagements with equity, diversity and inclusion, $81,778 SSHRC Insight Development Grant
The research will examine how racialized international graduate students experience institutional equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives during their first year of graduate studies.
Dr. Thomas Vernon: A turn to staying in the game: a research-creation and knowledge mobilization project investigating HIV stigma as a site of creative and critical practices of resilience, $97,943 SSHRC Insight Development Grant
The project will develop creative and digital approaches to help people build resilience to HIV-related stigma through research-creation and knowledge mobilization.
Together, these SSHRC-funded projects reflect TRU’s continued commitment to research that addresses complex social, economic and environmental challenges while strengthening partnerships between researchers, communities and policymakers.
Research Support Fund
The Research Support Fund provides a portion of the costs associated with managing research funded by SSHRC and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council. This includes salaries for research administration staff, workplace health and safety training and library maintenance.
