Indigenous Research Network - U of T

10/09/2026

Join us for our October Lunch & Learn as we welcome Aylan Couchie!

📅 Date: Friday, October 23 2026 | 12:00 PM
📍 Location: Indigenous House at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) | Room 200 | 1053 Military Trail, Scarborough, ON, Toronto (Scarborough campus)

🍽️ Food & beverages will be provided

Ni waamjigaadeg debwewin (It’s time to see the truth)

Bio: Aylan Couchie (she/her) is a Nishnaabekwe interdisciplinary artist, curator and writer hailing from Nipissing First Nation. She completed her BFA at NSCAD University in sculpture and installation (2016). From there, she moved to Tkarón:to, achieving her MFA in the Interdisciplinary Art, Media and Design program at OCAD University where she focused her thesis on reconciliation and its relationship to monument and public art (2018). She’s a single Mom to three boys and Gookmis (Grandmother) of four. She splits her time living and working between her Nbisiing home community in Northern Ontario and Tkarón:to where she is employed as Assistant Professor of Indigenous Digital Art, Culture and Media at the University of Toronto.

Abstract: Ni waamjigaadeg debwewin (it’s time to see the truth) and ni waamjigaadeg aki (it’s time to see the land) - these two concepts, translated by Nipissing First Nation Elders, has framed Aylan’s research and thinking since completing her MFA in 2018. Aylan’s talk will focus on the political and social aspects of Indigenous placemaking, naming, monument and public art - from time immemorial to present day. It will share artistic research-creation projects encompassed within these topics, considered through a lens of Nipissing Nshnaabeg (Anishnaabe) language, histories, cosmologies and connection to place.

⤴️ Register today at https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/EVJ1DjkWs8.

10/06/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our first Lunch & Learn of the 2026 term!

On September 29, we welcomed M. Fernanda Yanchapaxi, Postdoctoral Fellow in Indigenous Science and Ethical Substance Lab, Technoscience Research Unit, for a presentation on Governing Data Otherwise: Indigenous Data Sovereignty Research.

This presentation was so powerful and set a reflective and actionable tone for how we can engage with research through the lens of Indigenous data governance and sovereignty. The conversation opened various avenues of thinking, questions, and possibilities within this work. We invite you to engage with Dr. Yanchapaxi’s research and explore the work of the TRU Lab.

And thank you to our caterer, St. George Catering, for providing a healthy and refreshing lunch.

Stay tuned for future Lunch & Learn announcements!

09/18/2026

We are excited to invite you to the first Lunch & Learn of the new term, featuring M. Fernanda Yanchapaxi!

📅 Date: Tuesday, September 29, 2026 | 12:00 PM
📍 Location: Room 3067, Sidney Smith Hall, 100 St. George Street, Toronto (St. George campus)

🍽️ Food & beverages will be provided

Governing Data Otherwise: Indigenous Data Sovereignty in Research

How might research change when data is approached through governance and relation rather than ownership and protection? This talk explores Indigenous Data Sovereignty as a framework for governing knowledge and data in research, from what becomes data to how it is collected, interpreted, shared, and withheld. Yanchapaxi considers how Indigenous governance can unsettle assumptions of property embedded in research data practices and infrastructures. Asking what it means to govern data otherwise, the talk considers how Indigenous Data Sovereignty might reshape research practices, emerging technologies, and institutional responsibilities.

M. Fernanda Yanchapaxi (she/her; Kichwa/Mestiza) is a Postdoctoral Fellow and Lead Researcher for Beyond Open Science: Indigenous Data Sovereignty, at the Technoscience Research Unit. Grounded in Indigenous feminist and anti-colonial STS, her research explores Indigenous data sovereignty and governance, intellectual property, research methodologies, and how Indigenous governance can reshape research practices, emerging technologies, and computational infrastructures.

⤴️ Registration available at https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/HXfPCVj3rH.

09/17/2026

What are IRN Lunch & Learns? 🍎📚

The Indigenous Research Network’s Lunch & Learn Speaker Series creates space to learn, share, and connect around Indigenous research during the academic year.

Held during the fall and winter terms, these informal lunchtime gatherings bring together students, faculty, researchers, and community members for presentations and conversations on a range of Indigenous research topics, approaches, and experiences.

Each Lunch & Learn features a 20–30 minute presentation, followed by approximately 30 minutes of Q&A and discussion. The series primarily features Indigenous researchers, with particular attention to graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and early career scholars, while also welcoming faculty, community researchers, and Knowledge Holders whose work contributes to Indigenous research and community priorities.

Beyond the presentation itself, Lunch & Learns are an opportunity to cultivate learning beyond the classroom, spark dialogue, build connections, and support relationships across Indigenous research communities.

Interested in sharing your work with the IRN community? We are currently welcoming expressions of interest from Indigenous scholars and researchers interested in presenting in our Lunch & Learn series.

➡️ Submit an expression of interest at https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/KaZBs4LJUW.

09/14/2026

✨ A new academic year begins.

A new year brings new energy, new conversations, and new possibilities for Indigenous research at .

We’re excited to welcome our new Director, Michelle Daigle, and to continue building alongside Indigenous researchers, students, Knowledge Holders, and communities.

Here’s to a year of meaningful connections, good conversations, and Indigenous research that moves us forward. 🌿

Welcome, 2026–27!

08/11/2026

📢 The Indigenous Research Network at the University of Toronto is hiring an Assistant Director, Indigenous Research Network (Req. ID: 49681)

Campus: St. George (Downtown Toronto)
Job Category: Full-Time, continuing
Application Deadline: August 19, 11:59PM ET

Job posting: https://uoft.me/czy

08/07/2026

📢 Applications are open for our 2026-27 Fall & Winter Work Study Student Assistant Coordinator position.

To apply, submit your application through the Career & Co-Curricular Learning Network (CLNx) using Application Code: 267210

clnx.utoronto.ca/myAccount/jobs/work-study/wsjobs.htm

06/21/2026

June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of this national recognition in Canada. As we celebrate the vibrant cultures, histories, languages, and contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples, we also recognize the importance of continued learning, meaningful relationships, and Indigenous-led futures.

At IRN, we honour this day by reflecting on the responsibilities of research, education, and community-building in advancing Indigenous resurgence and self-determination.

06/19/2026

June is a month of celebration in Canada commemorating National Indigenous History Month. Strong advocacy from representatives of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities led to the creation of National Indigenous History Month in 2009 and National Indigenous Peoples Day (formerly National Aboriginal Day) in 1996. Both honour the distinct cultures of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities and encourages widespread recognition of the accomplishments and resilience of Indigenous Peoples across Turtle Island.

In these images, we share some highly influential Indigenous research texts to celebrate the wonderful work being done to Indigenize research spaces.

Smith, L. T. (2021). Decolonizing Methodologies (3rd ed.).

Wilson, S. (2008). Research Is Ceremony.

Absolon, K. (2011). Kaandossiwin: How We Come to Know.

05/05/2026