Annual Research Report 2023-2024, Common Law Section

Welcome from the Vice-Dean

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Featured Stories

University Rankings

uOttawa Law shines in the 2024 QS World University Rankings

“Skills development, teamwork and adaptability – this is what we are all about,” says Kristen Boon, Susan and Perry Dellelce Dean of Common Law.

Call to Action #28

Call to Action #28

Called to action: A new foundation in Indigenous laws and legal traditions

The 2023-2024 academic year broke new ground for Common Law in its commitment to advancing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

Judicial Appointment

Carissima Mathen: From Professor to Superior Court Judge

The Common Law Section celebrates the appointment of Professor Carissima Mathen, LSM, to the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Toronto.

2023-2024 in Review

66

Full-Time Professors – advancing law across a vast range of fields in both French and English.

13

Active Research Chairs – leading projects that are pushing the boundaries of research in law.

16

Research Centres, Networks, Labs and Clinics – serving as hubs of activity within our research community.

Roojin Habibi

July 1, 2023

Professor Roojin Habibi, a graduate of the French Common Law Program (PCLF) in 2018, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in international law, health law, and human rights. As a Senior Visiting Fellow of the United Nations University's International Institute for Global Health, and a Research Fellow of the Global Strategy Lab at York University and the University of Ottawa, Professor Habibi has established herself as a respected figure in the field. Bridging the fields of international law, health law and human rights, her current research program examines normative interpretation and change in global health law.

Doug Sarro

July 1, 2023

Before pursuing an academic career, Professor Doug Sarro clerked at the Court of Appeal for Ontario, practiced corporate law at Sullivan & Cromwell in New York, and was a senior advisor at the Ontario Securities Commission. His research is focused on corporate law, securities regulation, and the relationship between innovation, law, and politics. His recent work, featured in publications such as the Osgoode Hall Law Journal, UBC Law Review, Queen's Law Journal, Canadian Business Law Journal, and Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law, has garnered recognition within the legal community.

Julie Ada Tchoukou

July 1, 2024

Professor Julie Ynès Ada Tchoukou's academic and professional journey is characterized by her strong dedication to theoretical and practical issues relating to the intersection between domestic and international law, with a particular focus on concerns arising from law’s engagement with gender, race and equality. Her principal fields of research include international human rights law, comparative law, law and gender, law and culture and human rights in cross-cultural perspectives. She is interested in policy reforms and projects with an end goal of social change.

Olabisi D. Akinkugbe

Allan Rock Visiting Professor, 2024-2025

When Olabisi D. Akinkugbe was earning his PhD at the uOttawa Faculty of Law in 2017, he was known affectionately around FTX simply as ‘Bisi.’ The Common Law Section is thrilled to welcome Professor Akinkugbe back as the Allan Rock Visiting Professor for the 2024-2025 academic year. Professor Akinkugbe brings a wealth of international experience and a deep commitment to expanding the boundaries of legal scholarship, particularly as it pertains to the Global South. His research in public international law and international economic law is informed by critical traditions, including socio-legal approaches to law, post-colonialism, and Third World Approaches to International Law.

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Research Themes

In this section, you'll find a wide variety of stories stories covering our researchers' involvement in the themes of Indigenous Law, Social Justice, Public Law, Law and Technology, Health Law, Environmental Law, Human Rights and International Law and Women, Gender and 2SLGBTQ+ Rights.

Indigenous Law and Legal Traditions

Responding to Call to Action 28 and research initiatives that explore water governance and traditional knowledge.

Social Justice

Research initiatives that give voice to marginalized and vulnerable communities and leaders who are finding ways to champion diversity.

Public Law

A major public law conference and research efforts that explore a range of topics from democracy to language rights.

Law and Technology

Shaping the future of AI, exploring the possibilities of legal data analytics, setting the stage for the future of innovation and much more.

Health Law

Happiness and well-being for lawyers and law students, global health challenges and leaders pushing health law and ethics in new directions.

Environmental Law

Research on food loss and waste, ocean ecosystem protection and climate change, and the experts pushing for a greener planet.

Human Rights and International Law

Research initiatives that respond to a range of global challenges, a video series on the WTO, and a celebration of our research leaders.

Women, Gender and 2SLGBTQ+ Rights

Youth-led approaches to tech-facilitated violence, homophobia in wrongful convictions and our leaders at the forefront of rights-based research.

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Student Research

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Newly published books, 2023-2024

Decoding the Court: Legal Data Insights from the Supreme Court of Canada (Routledge, 2024)
Wolfgang Alschner
Vanessa MacDonnell
Carissima Mathen

La responsabilité délictuelle en common law, 2^e éd (Éditions Yvon Blais, 2023)
Denis Boivin
Louise Bélanger-Hardy

Une introduction à la théorie et à la pratique de la résolution des différends (Éditions JFD, 2024)
Suzanne Bouclin

Éléments de common law canadienne – Comparaison avec le droit civil québécois, 2^e éd (Yvon Blais, 2024)
Yan Campagnolo
Louise Bélanger-Hardy
Aline Grenon

Droits, langues et communautés : Mélanges en l’honneur du professeur Pierre Foucher(Éditions Liber, 2023)
François Charbonneau
Stéphanie Chouinard
François Larocque

Research Handbook on Digital Trade (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2023)
David Collins
Michael Geist

The Canadian Constitution, 3^rd Edition(Dundurn Press, 2024)
Adam Dodek

Heenan Blaikie: The Making and Unmaking of a Great Canadian Law Firm (UBC Press)
Adam Dodek

Can’t Compute: Moving Towards an Equitable Digital World(University of Ottawa Research Chair in Technology and Society, 2023)
Suzie Dunn
Nasma Ahmed
Florian Martin-Bariteau

Pandemics, Public Health, and the Regulation of Borders (Routledge, 2024)
Colleen M. Flood
Y.Y. Brandon Chen
Raywat Deonandan
Sam Halabi
Sophie Thériault

Drafting, Interpreting and Applying Legislation (Irwin Law, 2023)
John Mark Keyes
Wendy Gordon

Ghost Citizens: Decolonial Apparitions of Stateless, Foreign and Wayward Figures in Law (Fernwood Publishing, 2024)
Jamie Liew

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Awards and Distinctions

University of Ottawa Award for Excellence in Teaching

Dr. Angela Cameron was awarded the University of Ottawa Award for Excellence in Teaching by the Association of Professors of the University of Ottawa (APUO) in 2024 in recognition of her remarkable contributions to university teaching.

Steven E. Hyman Award for Distinguished Service to the Field of Neuroethics

Professor Jennifer Chandler was named the winner of the 2024 Steven E. Hyman Award for Distinguished Service to the Field of Neuroethics in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the study of neuroethics.

University of Ottawa Knowledge Mobilization Excellence Award

Professor Aimée Craft was 2023 recipient of the University of Ottawa's Knowledge Mobilization Excellence Award in the Established Researchers category, recognizing her exceptional efforts to disseminate the research outputs of the Decolonizing Water Project.

Lexpert Rising Stars Awards

Professor Paul Daly was selected as a winner of the 2023 Lexpert Rising Stars Awards, which honour leading members of the legal profession who are under 40 and who have made outstanding contributions in their chosen fields.

Fellow, Royal Society of Canada

Professor Jeremy de Beer was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2024, distinguishing him as one of Canada’s most valued and impactful scholars.

SSHRC Impact Partnership Award

The Open African Innovation Research Network (Open AIR), represented at uOttawa by Professors Jeremy de Beer and Chidi Oguamanam, was named the winner of the 2023 SSHRC Impact Award in the Partnership Award category, a prestigious recognition of its extraordinary work in advancing Africa's pivotal role in the ever-expanding global knowledge economy.

Influence on Francophonie

For his tireless efforts in researching and defending the language rights of Canada’s French-speaking minority communities, Professor François Larocque was honoured in 2024 by Francopresse as one of the ten most influential personalities on Francophonie issues in Canada.

Fulbright Canada Traditional Scholar Award

Professor Jamie Chai Yun Liew won a Fulbright Canada Traditional Scholar Award in 2023, which allowed her to spend a semester as a visiting scholar at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa.

University of Ottawa Early Career Researcher of the Year Award

In recognition of his exceptional efforts and broad impact, Dr. Florian Martin-Bariteau was awarded the University of Ottawa’s Early Career Researcher of the Year Award for 2023, in the category covering Humanities, Social Sciences, Fine Arts and Literature.

David Walter Mundell Medal

On May 31, 2023, the Honourable Doug Downey, Attorney General of Ontario, presented Professor Carissima Mathen with the David Walter Mundell Medal for her extraordinary contributions to legal writing.

University of Ottawa Award for Excellence in Research

Professor Delphine Nakache was chosen as the 2022-2023 winner of the University of Ottawa Award for Excellence in Research in the Humanities stream, which aims to recognize exceptional research that has made significant original contributions that have had a broad impact.

AJEFO Order of Merit

Professor Alain Roussy was awarded the AJEFO Order of Merit in 2023 for his contribution to access to justice in French in Ontario and to the improvement of legal services in French for the Franco-Ontarian community.

David Watson Memorial Award, Queen's Law Journal

Professor Doug Sarro won the David Watson Memorial Award, which is presented annually to the paper published in the Queen’s Law Journal judged to make the most significant contribution to legal scholarship. He won the award for his article “Incentives, Experts, and Regulatory Renewal”.

PICCASO Canada Award for Privacy Leader in Academia / Thought Leader

In recognition her exceptional thought leadership in Canadian information law and policy, Dr. Teresa Scassa was awarded the inaugural PICCASO Canada Award for Privacy Leader in Academia / Thought Leader.

Business and Human Rights Journal Best Scholarly Article Prize

In 2024, Professor Penelope Simons and former Faculty of Law doctoral student Dr. Melisa Handl, alongside their co-author from Dalhousie University, Professor Sara Seck, were awarded the Business and Human Rights Journal’s (BHJR) Best Scholarly Article Prize for their paper “Gender and Intersectionality in Business and Human Rights Scholarships” (Business and Human Rights Journal, Volume 7, No. 2).

Canadian Bar Association SOGIC Hero Award

A long-time advocate for trans justice in Canada, Professor Samuel Singer received the Canadian Bar Association’s Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Community Section (SOGIC) Hero Award in 2023.

CLSA Article Prize

Professor João Velloso was awarded the Canadian Law and Society Association (CLSA) Article Prize (French Language) for 2024 for his article entitled “La gouvernance plurinormative des manifestants : reconfigurations pénales, exceptionnalité et dégradation des droits pendant le G20 à Toronto” (The plurinormative governance of protesters: penal reconfigurations, exceptionalism and the degradation of rights during the Toronto G20 Summit).

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Annual Research Report 2023-2024, Common Law Section

Welcome from the Vice-Dean

Table of Contents

Featured Stories

2023-2024 in Review

Roojin Habibi

Doug Sarro

Julie Ada Tchoukou

Olabisi D. Akinkugbe

Yan Campagnolo

Marel Katsivela

Samuel Singer

Jamie Benidickson

Martha Jackman

Ellen Zweibel

Internal Appointments

External Appointments

Social Sciences and Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)

Government Grants and Contracts

Foundations and Other External Funding

University of Ottawa Grant Programs

Research Themes

Student Research

Elevating excellence

Newly published books, 2023-2024

Awards and Distinctions

University of Ottawa Award for Excellence in Teaching

Steven E. Hyman Award for Distinguished Service to the Field of Neuroethics

University of Ottawa Knowledge Mobilization Excellence Award

Lexpert Rising Stars Awards

Fellow, Royal Society of Canada

SSHRC Impact Partnership Award

Influence on Francophonie

Fulbright Canada Traditional Scholar Award

University of Ottawa Early Career Researcher of the Year Award

David Walter Mundell Medal

University of Ottawa Award for Excellence in Research

AJEFO Order of Merit

David Watson Memorial Award, Queen's Law Journal

PICCASO Canada Award for Privacy Leader in Academia / Thought Leader

Business and Human Rights Journal Best Scholarly Article Prize

Canadian Bar Association SOGIC Hero Award

CLSA Article Prize

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