A prestigious research chair awarded to Prof. Cohen: the Canada Research Chair on International Justice, Reparation and Human Rights

Prof. Miriam Cohen has been awarded a prestigious $600,000 Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) for her research program in international justice, reparation and human rights. Prof. Cohen's research focuses on two main areas: international justice and reparation for international crimes and human rights violations, and the relationship between human rights, new technologies and the empowerment of individuals and communities.

Prof. Miriam Cohen is also the recipient of a Canada Foundation for Innovation Research Infrastructure Grant through the John R. Evans Leaders Fund. The research infrastructure, totalling $397,635, will support the creation of the International Justice and Fundamental Rights Laboratory, which will host a specialized digital platform for the comparative analysis of leading human rights decisions.  

Prof. Cohen was hired to the faculty in 2018. She holds a PhD in international law from Leiden University (Netherlands). She also holds an LLM from Harvard University, an LLM in International Law from Cambridge University, and an LLM with thesis from the University of Montreal. She has served as a legal advisor to the United Nations International Court of Justice, as a research fellow at Harvard Law School, as a legal officer in the Appeals Chamber and the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, and as a legal advisor to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. She has received numerous awards and research grants during her career, including from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Canadian Bar Association and the Frank Knox Memorial Fellowship at Harvard University.

This is a tremendous accomplishment for Miriam Cohen, whose career and work, like that of many other colleagues from the faculty, is distinguished by excellence and innovation at both the national and international levels. “The creation of the International Justice and Fundamental Rights Laboratory is a happy moment”, said Dean France Houle, who is "delighted to see the Faculty of Law continue to distinguish itself in international law and human rights by allowing its expertise in this field to be used on a global scale.”

 

About the Canada Research Chairs Program

The Government of Canada announced yesterday a new investment of more than $151 million to support the work of 188 Canada Research Chairs, many of them newly appointed, at 43 institutions across the country. Through the John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF), the Canada Foundation for Innovation, a partner in the Canada Research Chairs Program, will invest more than $9.5 million in 43 Canada Research Chairs at 19 institutions.

Canada Research Chairs chairholders are world-renowned scholars and scientists who are making discoveries and helping us understand the world we live in. The Research Chairs program supports research excellence in the natural sciences, engineering, health sciences, humanities and social sciences. With this funding, the Chairs help Canadians increase their knowledge, improve their quality of life and strengthen Canada's international competitiveness. They also help train the next generation of highly qualified workers by supervising students, teaching and coordinating the work of other researchers.1

The JELF supports the cutting-edge research of a select group of university researchers by providing them with the basic research infrastructure that enables them to be, or become, leaders in their respective fields.

"The Canada Foundation for Innovation is proud to support the Canada Research Chairs Program through its John R. Evans Leaders Fund. This funding enables universities to recruit and retain top talent in Canada while sharing their breakthrough discoveries with Canadians.”

- Roseann O'Reilly Runte, President and CEO of the Canada Foundation for Innovation.2

 

This content has been updated on 14 June 2022 at 22 h 54 min.