Photo of Mike Brklacich

Mike Brklacich

Professor Emeritus

Degrees:B.Sc. (Trent), M.A. (Guelph), Ph.D. (Waterloo)
Email:mike.brklacich@carleton.ca

Biography

Mike studied society and climate relationships for +40 years, initially as a researcher at the University of Guelph and at Agri-food and Agriculture Canada (1980 to 1992) and then as a faculty member in Carleton’s Department of Geography and Environmental Studies (1992-2021). He was part of the first wave of Canadian researchers to make the case that global climate change ought to be linked directly to broader issues of social and economic transformations in the Global South and in the industrialized world. His research, in Canada and internationally, focused on improving livelihoods in stressed rural communities. He also played a leading role in the development of international research programs on Human Security and on Food Systems, as well as assisting with the development and advancement of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change (www.iai.int/en/). He contributed to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (www.ipcc.ch) over a 15-year period and was part of the international team that was co-awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace (https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2007/summary/). These research experiences collectively developed Mike’s expertise in interdisciplinary research that spans the social and environmental sciences, in securing of internal and external funding that sustained programs of research, in the establishment and management of multi-institutional programs of research, in the mentoring of early career researchers, and in conducting research in unique and challenging cross-cultural environments.

During his Carleton career (1992 to 2021), Mike was Chair of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies (2006-12), an Associate Dean (Graduate Programs, Research and International) in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (2015-21) and a Chancellor’s Professor (2014-19). As Chair and Associate Dean, Mike honed his expertise in all aspects of academic and research management including the renewal of academic programs, management of human resources and academic budgets, advancing the careers of graduate students and entry-level faculty, and securing institutional and external funding for operating and capital budgets.

Since retirement in January 2022, Mike’s scaled-back academic and research activities include:

DOMESTIC INITIATIVES

Graduate Student Service

  • Supervising Carleton graduate students and Chairing PhD Examination Boards (2022-present).

Teaching

  • Society and Climate Change, a non-credit course offered as part of Carleton’s Lifelong Long Learning Program (2022, 2023 & 2024) ( ca/lifelong/)

Executive Committee Member

 

INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES

Volunteer & Project Lead with Academics Without Borders ( www.awb-usf.org )

  • The Early Career Researcher – Uganda project (2022-2024).
  • Igniting Excellence in Research Capacity Building project at Karatina University, Kenya (2024-25)

International Research Adjudication Panel Member

  • Universities Canada, Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships program (2023)
  • International Research Development Centre, International Doctoral Research Awards (2024)

Establishment of Carleton’s Faculty of Arts & Social Science Global South Graduate Scholarship (GSGS) (2022-23)

Researcher

  • Co-PI on the Enhancing Food System Resilience project, an OECD-funded project (2021-2023).

For more info about Mike, click here for his CV.

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