On July 14, 2026, HUMA PhD candidate Trudy Tattersall successfully defended her PhD thesis, “A Mingled Yarn”: Needlework, Emotional Communities, and Affective Experience in Settler-Colonial Maritime Canada.
Congratulations, Dr. Tattersall!
News and Events
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Liao Zixuan’s Artwork Featured on the Cover of Frontiers Journal
HUMA Phd Student Liao Zixuan has had her artwork featured on the cover of the latest issue of Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies:
You can watch Liao speak about this work, titled “26-Year-Old,” in a recent video posted to Frontiers’ Instagram account. In this video, she explains how the two overlapping faces in this piece reflect her experience of navigating the “social masks we often wear in urban life.”
Congratulations, Liao!
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HUMA alum, Dr. Maya Karanouh, awarded Board of Trustees Spirit of Brock Medal
HUMA’s most recent grad, Dr. Maya Karanouh, was honoured at this month’s convocation ceremony with the Board of Trustees Spirit of Brock Medal! This prestigious award is given to a graduating student, selected by the Deans’ Offices, who “exemplifies the spirit of Sir Isaac Brock.”
Left to right: Dr. Aaron Mauro, Dr. Maya Karanouh, and Dr. Jason Hawreliak (Supervisor)
Left to right: Natalia Rodrigues-Rana (another Board of Trustees Spirit of Brock medalist), Rob Welch (Brock University Board of Trustees Vice-Chair), and Dr. Maya Karanouh
You can read more about this wonderful accomplishment, as well as Dr. Karanouh’s research, in the Brock News.
Congratulations, Maya!
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HUMA Grads at Spring Convocation
Our most newly minted HUMA grads, Dr. Alia Wazzan and Dr. Maya Karanouh, were spotted yesterday at Brock’s Spring convocation ceremony! Congratulations to you both — wishing you both all the best for the future.
Photo taken from @brockhumanities
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Student Successes: Congratulations to Ece Çizmeci!
Congratulations to HUMA student Ece Çizmeci, whose research was just published in the journal Transpositions. You can find the article here: “Expanding Cinema: Becoming-Other with Post-Anthropocentric Ethics of Affect.”
Ece has also been selected to take part in the 2026 Lake Shift Writing Retreat at Queen’s University, which means that she will be spending part of July at the Queen’s University Biology Station (QUBS), Canada’s largest inland field station!
Congratulations, Ece!
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Congratulations, Dr. Alia Wazzan!
On March 24, Alia Wazzan successfully defended her thesis, Netflix Feminist Euphoria: Gendered Orientalism and the Age of Platform Imperialism in the Middle East.
Congratulations to Dr. Wazzan!
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Liao Zixuan wins Jack M. Miller Excellence in Research Award, Dr. Marilyn J. Rose Graduate Studies Fund
Congratulations to HUMA PhD student Liao Zixuan, who has been awarded both the Jack M. Miller Excellence in Research Award and the Marilyn J. Rose Graduate Studies Fund!
The Jack M. Miller Excellence in Research Award is a scholarship is made annually to one full-time Master and one full-time Doctoral graduate student in each of the six academic faculties. The Marilyn J. Rose Graduate Studies Fund is an award made annually to a full-time entering or continuing graduate student at Brock University studying in the Faculty of Humanities.
You can see for yourself some of the output of Liao’s work by visiting the 2026 Juried Exhibition, which will feature two of Liao’s paintings (see above). The Juried Exhibition runs from January 27 to February 21 at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts in St. Catharines, Ontario.
Congratulations, Liao!
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Congratulations to Dr. Maya Karanouh for a successful defence!
On December 16, Maya Karanouh successfully defended her thesis, Wicked Problems of Generative AI: Navigating Ethical Concerns and SMEs Early Adoption Challenges.
Congratulations to Dr. Maya Karanouh! We wish you all the best in your future endeavours!
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Three HUMA PhD students featured in the HRI Fall Term Symposium
Congratulations to HUMA PhD students Philip Akoje, Long Vu, and John Heckman, who delivered “Lightning Talks” about their research at the Fall Term Symposium hosted by the Humanities Research Institute. The Symposium was held on Monday, Dec. 8th, and featured Brock graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty members. Each participant was tasked with the challenge of presenting their research project in just 5 minutes!
Philip Akoje delivering his Lightning Talk, “Gendered Frames of Emotion and Affect in Igala Ritual Masks”
Long Vu presenting his research project, “Gifted Subjects: A Political Ontology of the Vietnamese Socialist Citizen”
Long Vu (right) and John Heckman (left); John’s Lightning Talk was on “Constructing Conflict: Creators, Audiences, and Digital War Visuals”
Well done, Philip, Long, and John!
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Alia Wazzan wins 2025-2026 Vice President, Research Award and the 2025-2026 Robert G. Rawle Graduate Bursary
The HUMA program is proud to announce that PhD student Alia Wazzan has been awarded both the 2025-2026 Vice President of Research Award and the 2025-2026 Robert G. Rawle Graduate Bursary.
Both awards are given annually to graduate students at Brock University, with the Vice President of Research Award given to a full-time international graduate student at Brock University who demonstrates outstanding academic merit.
Congratulations, Alia!
