In July of 2022, Professor Dale Turner was appointed to a three-year term as the Academic Advisor of Indigenous Research to the Provost. Under the umbrella of Indigenous Research, he also serves as the director of the Indigenous Research Network. Professor Turner will also work closely with Shannon Simpson, Director of Indigenous Initiatives, and with the Office of Indigenous Initiatives.
Professor Turner is a citizen of the Temagami First Nation in northern Ontario. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and Centre for Indigenous Studies in the Faculty of Arts & Science. His research interests include Indigenous politics, contemporary Indigenous intellectual culture, contemporary political theory, and the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein.
Sandi Wemigwase also joined the Indigenous Research Network team in July of 2022 and serves as the Special Projects Officer, Indigenous Research. As the IRN team lead, she is responsible for managing projects, developing processes, and organizing consultations. Sandi is an enrolled member of Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (Waganakising Odawa) located in northern Michigan. She is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Social Justice Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. Her research involves finding Indigenous methods to identify Indigenous students at universities at the point of admission. Throughout her studies, Sandi has been an active member of the academic community at U of T, including the Indigenous Education Network, Anishinaabe/Onkwehonwe Student Collective, First Nations House Director’s Advisory Board, NAISA2020 planning committee, and Supporting Aboriginal Graduate Experience.