Waterloo, Canada, Sept. 10, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) is pleased to welcome 17 new and six returning fellows to CIGI’s Digital Policy Hub for the 2024-2025 academic year.   

Launched in 2023, the Digital Policy Hub is a collaborative space for emerging scholars and innovative thinkers to share and develop research on the evolution and governance of transformative technologies. Connecting students and professionals nationwide, The Hub is designed to allow participants to develop research, and analytical and policy skills to prepare them to meet the challenges and opportunities of the digital era.  

 “We are so pleased with the way the Hub is evolving. It’s bringing together cutting-edge students and researchers in a unique transdisciplinary environment that builds intellectual foundations and cultivates career development,” said Paul Samson, President of the Centre for International Governance Innovation. Highlighting the role of CIGI’s Digital Policy Hub in shaping future leaders, he went on to say “Participants from across Canada connect virtually and in-person creating cohorts at the knowledge frontier of transformative technology governance. The Hub is developing the new generation of research, policy and business leaders.”  

Since its inception, fellows from a wide range of disciplines and sectors have presented their findings at research conferences open to the wider community, have participated in seminars and professional development sessions featuring CIGI’s community of experts, and have seen their work published on the Hub’s digital space.  

“After a successful first year, Mitacs is proud to continue to play a role in supporting this excellent program,” said John Hepburn, CEO of Mitacs. “CIGI’s Digital Policy Hub embodies what our Accelerate program is designed for - critical investment in both innovation and talent that creates the next generation of well-rounded leadership. We’re proud to be a part of this work.” 

The program is a continuation of CIGI’s efforts to prepare Canadian scholars and professionals through rigorous research that cuts across disciplines and engages fellows with policy makers and industry professionals - an approach that broadens the capacity of participants to lead work across disciplines.

 “The first year of the Hub saw the formation of career-enhancing connections and the production of important research on technologies that continue to revolutionize the way we see and interact in the world,” said Reanne Cayenne, the Digital Policy Hub’s Program Manager. “We’re so pleased with the program and excited to see the work of fellows as it continues to grow.”   

The new cohort reflects a diverse set of research interests and expertise from a range of institutions, companies and organizations across Canada. This year, undergraduate, graduate, post-doctoral, and visiting fellows will focus on US-China tech rivalry, outer space law and governance, the ethics of artificial intelligence, and more.  

CIGI would like to thank Mitacs for its continued partnership and support of CIGI’s Digital Policy Hub fellows through the Accelerate program.  We are also grateful to the John Holmes Trust for the support of fellows whose research focuses on Canadian foreign policy.

Meet the 2024-2025 Digital Policy Hub fellows:

• Dana Cramer

• Kristen Csenky   

• Nathalie DiBerardino   

• Jamie Duncan   

• Ashley Ferreira   

• Xiao Han   

• Wim Howson Creutzberg   

• Amelia Hui   

• Clare Kim   

• Madison Lee

• Melissa MacKay   

• Laine McCrory   

• Ola Mirzoeva   

• Rafael Morales-Guzman   

• Michael P.A. Murphy

• Halyna Padalko   

• Maya Povhe  

• Elia Rasky 

• Joseph Scarfone  

• Shirley Anne Scharf

• Caleigh Wong   

• Sophie Xiaoyi Liu  

• Badriyya Yusuf

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 About CIGI  

The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) is an independent, non-partisan think tank committed to innovative policy making at the intersection of technology and international governance. Headquartered in Waterloo, Canada, CIGI has a global network of multidisciplinary researchers and strategic partnerships providing expert research and objective analysis with one goal in mind: to improve people’s lives everywhere.  

Stay up to date by subscribing to the CIGI Newsletter.  

About Mitacs  

Mitacs empowers Canadian innovation through effective partnerships that deliver solutions to our most pressing problems. For over 20 years, Mitacs has assisted organizations in reaching their goals, has funded cutting-edge innovation, and has created job opportunities for students and postdocs. We are committed to driving economic growth and productivity and to creating meaningful change to improve quality of life for all Canadians.  

*Visiting fellows receive full financial support from the organization or workplace they are affiliated with during their tenure at the Digital Policy Hub.

Libza Mannan
Centre for International Governance Innovation
519-885-2444  ext. 7497  
lmannan@cigionline.org