Dale Spencer, associate professor in the Department of Law and Legal Studies, received a Faculty of Public Affairs Research Excellence Chair for his commitment to upholding research excellence and contributing to broader conversations about pressing issues related to victims and victimization.
“Dale is one of Canada’s most prolific early career interdisciplinary social scientists,” says Dean Brenda O’Neill. “We are proud that the FPA Research Excellence Chair will help to increase our understanding of violence and victimization in many areas including corrections, elderly care and in forced adoption such as the Sixties Scoop.”
Mary Francoli, interim associate dean (research and international), says, “Dale has an impressive record of accomplishment in securing diverse research funding in support of his research, a strong publication record and an innovative, ambitious research program.”
Timely Research
Before the pandemic hit, Spencer worked with graduate students to conduct surveys, focus groups and interviews with 16 to 18-year-olds to understand their experiences with digital worlds.
In 2019, Spencer was awarded the FPA Research Excellence Award for his research project, “Youth, Neotribes, and Digital World.” The project looks at digital worlds as a gateway to networking opportunities for youth, fostering and aiding in the development of identity, peer networks and supports, as well as media literacy.
Spencer is currently looking at policies involved in public health measures that limit social contact and the links between recreational activities and risk tolerance during the pandemic. Through a partnership with local gym, CrossFit Bytown, Spencer is exploring the implications of social distancing, with a focus on the absence and modification of CrossFit practices that are central to participants; identities and community, and their conceptions of health and risk tolerance.
Spencer also recently received a SSHRC Insight Grant for the project Probing the Registry: Police Management and Monitoring of the National Sex Offender Registry.
Spencer has authored two books, co-authored three books, edited three volumes, published 34 refereed journal articles, 18 book chapters and continues to publish peer reviewed journal articles on violence across various projects on topics that include carceral settings, aging persons, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and the Sixties Scoop.
Previous recipients
Louis-Philippe Béland, Departments of Economics
William Walters, Department of Political Science
Graeme Auld, School of Public Policy and Administration
Amanda Clarke, School of Public Policy and Administration
Thursday, August 12, 2021 in Department of Law and Legal Studies, News
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