Fen Osler Hampson Receives Honorary Doctorate from Trinity College
Trinity College has announced that it will present an honorary Doctor of Sacred Letters (honoris causa) to Trinity alumnus Fen Osler Hampson at this year’s convocation on August 25, 2025. The recognition celebrates his remarkable academic career, influential contributions to Canadian foreign policy, and his global leadership on issues of security, refugees, and migration. Hampson has also been selected to deliver the Convocation Address.
Hampson is a renowned international affairs expert who currently serves as a co-chair of the Expert Group on Canada-U.S. Relations, which advises the Canadian Prime Minister. He is also a Professor of International Affairs and Chancellor’s Professor at Carleton University, as well as President of the World Refugee & Migration Council. His academic journey includes degrees from the University of Toronto, the London School of Economics—where he earned an MSc (Econ.) with distinction—and a PhD from Harvard University.
A Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Hampson is widely recognized for his extensive scholarly contributions. He is the author or coauthor of 15 books and has edited or coedited 33 additional volumes. His recent publications include The Two Michaels: Innocent Canadian Captives and High Stakes Espionage in the USChina Cyber War and Grand Corruption: Curbing Kleptocracy Globally.
Over the course of his career, Hampson has received numerous prestigious awards. Among them are the International Studies Association’s Distinguished Peace Scholar Award (2018) and its 2022 Distinguished Scholar Award for the Canada section. He has also been honoured with a research and writing award from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and earned a Jennings Randolph Peace Fellowship from the United States Institute of Peace.
The College notes that Hampson’s work has had meaningful and lasting impact—both in shaping policy and in advancing global conversations on peace, security, and human displacement. The conferment of the honorary degree recognizes a career marked by scholarship, service, and leadership on the world stage.