07/28/2026
Lakehead announces new Canada Research Chair
Thunder Bay, Ont. – Lakehead University’s Dr. Melissa Twance has been appointed Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Land Pedagogies and Indigenous Futurities.
Through a community-engaged arts-based approach, including sharing circles and beading circles, Twance will study how traditional Indigenous places of learning and ways of knowing, being and doing, immerse youth in culture, language, tradition, and values that support their education and development.
“Bringing about transformative change means that we need to go against the colonial norm that is infused throughout Western education institutes and allow Indigenous knowledge to be validated as its own form of knowledge, which will make learning a more positive experience for Indigenous people,” she explained.
Twance’s work is influenced by her own educational experience. A member of Netmizaagamig Nishinaabeg (Pic Mobert First Nation) in Northwestern Ontario, she said the values and ideas around achievement in the Western education system never felt relevant to her life or her community, resulting in isolation and frustration.
“My research will focus beyond the Western classroom because that’s where I was able to find validation and support for myself growing up,” she said. “My grandmother taught me beadwork and my mother ensured that we had a cultural upbringing and participated in ceremonies and Powwows, which helped me build a sense of community and identity.”
In these spaces, Twance will foster a platform for Anishinaabe people – including Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and community members – from across the Great Lakes region to contribute knowledge and experiences to create a system where Indigenous students feel affirmed.
“Instead of conforming to and meeting Euro Western measures of success, how do we define success for ourselves, how does learning with and through the land point to different futures for us?” she stated.
The appointment comes with $600,000 in funding over five years and a $39,000 research infrastructure grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation.
“Lakehead University is extremely pleased to welcome Dr. Melissa Twance as our newest Canada Research Chair,” said Dr. Andrew P. Dean, Vice-President, Research and Innovation. “We look forward to the research contributions Dr. Twance will make over the term of this appointment.”
The Canada Research Chair program also announced the renewal of Dr. Maryam Ebrahimi for a second five-year term. Dr. Ebrahimi, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry, will continue her work as a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Molecular-based Low-dimensional Nanomaterials. Her research lies at the border of chemistry and physics, focusing on the fundamentals of low-dimensional nanomaterials whose properties are determined by their size, structure, and growth dimensions.
