Agenda

Safe Havens and Knowledge Networks in Canada May 22-23, 2025
Day 1 — Thursday, May 22
8:30-8:45am	Registration and light refreshments
8:45-9am	Welcome and Opening Remarks
Moderators:	Norah Vollmer, Manger, Faculty Affairs, Carleton University, SAR Carleton Co-Chair, SAR Canada Steering Committee Megan Graham, Adjunct Research Professor (Sociology and Anthropology), Carleton University
Remarks:	Dr. Mustafa Bahran, Professor of Physics, Contract Instructor, Carleton University, SAR Carleton
	Caroline Ford, Director, Democratic and Inclusive Governance Division, International Development and Research Centre
9-10am	Keynote Session: Knowledge Under Siege: The Role of Canadian Universities in Hosting At-Risk Scholars and Human Rights Defenders
	Session Description: This keynote session will present a panel moderated by Nahlah Ayed that discusses displacement, forced migration, gender inequities, and the role of the university in a world under siege. This will be a session for the CBC show Ideas, produced and disseminated by the CBC. The focus of the session includes defining the concept of a Scholar at Risk (“What is a SAR?”) and a displaced scholar in the current Canadian context. The session will look at the journey of an at-risk scholar in Canada, thinking about what it means for a university to host an at-risk scholar and what it means for an at-risk scholar to be hosted by a university? The conversation will also touch upon issues of displacement and the struggles with, and barriers to, integration in Canadian society both personally and professionally for at-risk scholars, extending to the precarious career path for these scholars in Canada during and beyond their time of being hosted. The session will discuss the value of university-based Scholars at Risk initiatives and the challenges of coordinating Canadian national-level efforts to host at-risk scholars, and the benefits that hosting at-risk and displaced scholars bring to Canada. Importantly, the session will explore the contribution that displaced scholars and human rights defenders contribute to their home countries from Canada, by maintaining skills, building intergenerational transnational networks, and communities of practice who enrich the vision for democratic change and influence conflict resolution back home.
Moderator:	Nahlah Ayed, Host/Producer, CBC Ideas
Presenters:	Dr. Zahra Nazari, Visiting Professor, Department of Electronics, Carleton University Dr. Mustafa Bahran, Visiting Professor, Department of Physics, Carleton University James Milner, Professor of Political Science, Carleton University
10-11:30am	Session 1:  National and International Efforts to Support Researchers at Risk: Challenges, Best Practices, and Future Directions
	Session Description: This session will explore various national and international programs that offer critical support to at-risk scholars through several important presentations. The global experts will focus on the challenges, successes, and strategies that have emerged from key initiatives across Europe and North America. Drawing from three distinct yet complementary perspectives, the session will provide a comprehensive overview of ongoing efforts to assist scholars displaced due to repression and conflict, with specific attention to gender inequities in barriers and supports provided to at-risk and displaced scholars. Discussions will focus on future directions for a national SAR Canada program, including funding models, key stakeholders, and governmental partnerships to sustain the permanent program. Discussion will focus on identifying necessary architecture and components of a national program in Canada.
Moderators:	Andrew Johnston, Associate Professor (History), Carleton University, SAR Carleton Co-Chair, SAR Canada Steering Committee
	Christine Duff, Associate Professor (French), Carleton University, SAR Carleton Co-Chair
Presenters:	National Level Support Programmes for Researchers at Risk in Europe: Learnings from PSI, PAUSE and Inspireurope   Dr. Maike Didero, Program Manager, Inspire Europe, Alexander von Humbolt Foundation (Germany)   Marion Gues Lucchini, Advocacy and International Officer, PAUSE programme national d’accueil en urgence des scientifiques et des artistes en exil
	Leveraging National Resources in Efforts to Support Threatened Scholars Worldwide Phoebe Alpern, Program Associate for Membership and University Relations, Scholars at Risk Network (New York)
	The Institute of International Education Scholar Rescue Fund’s Experience in Canada Danielle Alperin, Assistant Director, Scholars Rescue Fund (New York)
11:30am-12:15pm	Lunch Break
12:15-1:45pm	Session 2:  Building Bridges for Displaced Scholars: Building Networks and Improving Policy for Equitable Access to Education and Research
	Session Description: Presentations and discussion will respond to gender inequities in the context of systemic barriers to integration and accessing employment in Canada. The goal of the session is to develop best practice guidelines for how universities can best host, support, and integrate at-risk and displaced scholars, including in Canadian employment landscapes as many scholars hold in-demand skills, knowledge, and talent. Discussion questions include: How can university policies better protect and support at-risk and displaced scholars? How can universities ensure equitable hiring practices and opportunities for at-risk and displaced scholars within and beyond academia? How can university communities and other partners assist in expanding knowledge networks of displaced scholars in a way that preserves and builds upon these scholars’ knowledge and enhances their employability in Canada and globally?
Moderator:	James Milner, Professor (Political Science), Carleton University, De Mello Chair (UNHCR)
Presenters:	Unbordered Knowledge: Scaling up SAR Support Christina Clark-Kazak, Professor (Public and International Affairs), University of Ottawa
	Adding Displaced Scholars in the EDI Definitions Dr. Evren Altinkas, University of Guelph
	Creating a Global Network for Displaced Intellectuals and Scholars Tony Porter, Professor (Political Science) McMaster University; Marufa Shinwari, PhD Candidate, McMaster University
	From Hosting to Knowledge Preservation: lessons from the IDRC-supported PPP project Dr. Elham Gharji, IDRC Project Research Coordinator, NSERC CREATE LEAP, Contract Instructor (Law and Legal Studies), Carleton University
1:45-2:00pm	Refreshment Break
2:00-3:30pm	Session 3: The Potential of Employment Pathways as a Route to Canada for Displaced Scholars and Other Talent
	Session Description: This session engages stakeholders beyond academia who support highly qualified newcomers to Canada who arrive through pathways such as the EMPP, resettlement, and student visa. A key challenge for providing effective supports for at-risk and displaced scholars and artists is the disconnect between academic and non-academic organizations. This session creates space to learn about the role of non-governmental, not-for-profit, and governmental organizations in the network of newcomers from refugee populations. This session is an opportunity to have a conversation about how efforts within the university can align with and mutually strengthen efforts to leverage the knowledge that at-risk scholars bring, meet industry needs, and rebuild and maintain global knowledge networks. Of key importance is the topic of integration of at-risk and displaced scholars into the Canadian employment landscape. Questions for discussion include: What are the barriers to integration in the Canadian employment landscape for at-risk and displaced scholars? What kinds of gender-responsive supports and training is needed to navigate and overcome these barriers?  What role do universities play in establishing pathways for preserving knowledge networks within, beyond, and between the university and alternative sectors where scholars may continue their professional careers in Canada? The goal of this session is to continue the development of best practice guidelines for how universities can work alongside other organizations to create systemic change that allows for better integration of at-risk and displaced scholars in the Canadian employment landscape.
Moderator:	Luciara Nardon, Professor (Business), Carleton University
Presenters:	Case Study on Use of Canada’s Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) to Support Displaced Scholars to Relocate for Work Dana Wagner, Co-Founder and Managing Director, TalentLift Canada
	Sandra Elgersma, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
	Bassel Ramli, Director, Global Mobility, JumpStart Refugee Talent
3:30-4:00pm	Preserving Academic Freedom in Times of Uncertainty
Moderator:	Norah Vollmer, Manger, Faculty Affairs, Carleton University, SAR Carleton Co-Chair, SAR Canada Steering Committee
Introduction:	Caroline Ford, Director, Democratic and Inclusive Governance Division, International Development and Research Centre
Presenter:	Preserving Academic Freedom in Times of Uncertainty The Honourable Bob Rae, P.C., C.C., O.Ont., K.C., Permanent Representative and Ambassador of Canada to United Nations in New York and President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
5pm	Special Event on Campus: “Allies in Exile”
	Exploring the concept of a Press Club in Exile for Women Journalists. Please Register HERE.
Day 2 — Friday, May 23
8:30-8:45am	Light morning refreshments
8:45-9am	Welcome and Opening
Moderators:	Norah Vollmer, Manger, Faculty Affairs, Carleton University, SAR Carleton Co-Chair, SAR Canada Steering Committee Megan Graham, Adjunct Research Professor (Sociology and Anthropology), Carleton University
Remarks:	Dr. Mustafa Bahran, Professor of Physics, Contract Instructor, Carleton University, SAR Carleton
9-10am IN PERSON ONLY	Open Discussion: Responding to Displaced Scholars and Students Affected by Crisis in the United States
	Session Description: In response to recent upheaval and crisis in the United States, this session offers an opportunity for open discussion about Canadian universities’ roles and responsibilities to support inclusive and resilient knowledge ecosystems. The session will examine the shifting dynamics between brain circulation and brain drain, and the imperative for universities to create pathways for at-risk and displaced scholars to continue their research and teaching. The conversation will highlight the role Canadian universities can play in offering refuge, rebuilding intellectual networks, and preserving knowledge threatened by crisis. Together, we will talk about how universities, both globally and locally, can act as stewards of knowledge and engines of social transformation. At a time when academic freedom and scholarly continuity are under threat, what responsibility do universities have to respond? And how can they collectively rise to meet this moment? This will be a timely conversation that will set the tone for our second day of the conference, focusing on the universities’ response to crisis and chronic conflict, global solidarity, academic resilience, and the transformative power of higher education.
Moderator:	Laura Madokoro, Associate Professor (History), Carleton University
Speakers:	Christina Clark-Kazak, Professor (Public and International Affairs), University of Ottawa
	Bree Akesson, Canada Research Chair (Tier II) and Professor, Wilfrid Laurier University
	Tony Porter, Professor (Political Science), McMaster University
10-11:30am	Session 4: Navigating New Beginnings: At-Risk and Displaced Scholars’ and Artists’ Journeys Through Barriers and Solutions in Canada’s Employment Landscape
	Session Description: This session is a space for at-risk and displaced scholars and artists to speak about their lived experiences of displacement and the challenges and opportunities they faced integrating into the Canadian employment landscape. Conversations will employ an intersectional lens, taking up the specific role of positionality, gender inequities, and systemic barriers in lived experience and employment outcomes The session will delve into the gendered impacts of displacement on global and local knowledge networks. The goal of this session is to learn from the first-hand experiences of at-risk and displaced scholars who have been forcibly displaced and resettled in Canada.
Moderator:	Christina Clark-Kazak, Professor (Public and International Affairs), University of Ottawa
Presenters:	Navigating Relaunching a Career in Canada as a Displaced Academic Doris Kakuru, Professor (Child and Youth Care) University of Victoria
	Challenges of Displaced Artists in Securing Grants in Canada Dr. Canan Altinkas, Artist
	Solidarity Beyond Borders Maiwand Rahyab, Founder and CEO, Resilient Societies
11:30am-12:15pm	Lunch Break
12:15-12:30pm	SAR Carleton Initiative – Program Briefing
Speakers:	Norah Vollmer, Manger, Faculty Affairs, Carleton University, SAR Carleton Co-Chair, SAR Canada Steering Committee
	Andrew Johnston, Associate Professor (History), Carleton University, SAR Carleton Co-Chair, SAR Canada Steering Committee
	Christine Duff, Associate Professor (French), Carleton University, SAR Carleton Co-Chair
	Megan Graham, Adjunct Research Professor (Sociology and Anthropology), Carleton University
12:30-1:45pm IN PERSON ONLY	Session 5: Youth Perspectives on Displaced Knowledge Networks and Education Landscapes
	Session Description: This conference session will explore the concept of displaced knowledge networks, focusing on how student scholars experience disruption in their academic journeys and how their communities in Canada influence change back home. Displaced knowledge networks refer to the informal, peer-driven systems of learning, sharing, and support that students rely on, which often get interrupted by structural challenges such as displacement, isolation, or marginalization. Through a critical lens, this session will examine how gender dynamics influence access to and participation in these networks, highlighting the unique experiences of students within education spaces. The session will discuss how youth define knowledge networks, explore their potential for disruption, and discuss strategies for re-establishing and reimagining these networks in ways that are inclusive and supportive of all students. The youth networks create opportunity for an enriched vision for change back home. The session will showcase student presenters from the IDRC-funded Placement, Preservation, and Perseverance (PPP) project who worked under the supervision of Dr. Jenny Peterson at the University of British Columbia. The student projects and initiatives are an important intergenerational part of the PPP project. The students’ work focuses on actively seek to rebuild these networks through innovative peer-led projects, collaborative learning, and advocacy for more equitable access to resources. Additionally, the presentations will include a critical assessment of university-based supports available within student networks, considering how these supports can be improved or redefined through the lens of gender, equity, and social justice. By centering student voices, especially those from marginalized backgrounds, this session will highlight how student-driven approaches can foster resilience and create stronger, more inclusive educational ecosystems.
1:45-3pm	Session 6: Integrating Global Talent: Imagining National Initiatives for At-risk and Displaced Scholar
	Session Description: The global future of education demands greater inclusion, enhanced collaboration across sectors, and forward-looking innovation in higher education. In a time of chronic conflict and displacement, we need a national-level coordinated response and actionable agenda for research and policy change. This work must include the perspectives from university-based initiatives, governmental stakeholders, and NGO and community partners who share a collective responsibility for humanitarian aid.
Moderator:	Betina Appel Kuzmarov, Associate Vice-President (International), Carleton University
Presenters:	James Milner, Professor (Political Science), Carleton University, De Mello Chair (UNHCR)
	Bayan Khatib, Impact Director – Refugee Newcomers, Northpine Foundation
	Nyabuol Biel Gang, Creative Writer and Advocate
3-3:15pm	Refreshment Break
3:15-4pm	Session 7: Full-Circle Insights, Key Takeaways, and Actionable Future Plans
	Session Description: The goal of the session is to recall and work through the key themes raised in the first session and throughout the conference. The session is also a time to collectively reflect on what we have learned over the past two days of this conference, identify gaps in knowledge that need to be addressed, and strategize a forward-looking actionable research agenda with presenters and stakeholders. This wrap-up session will bring together learnings to propose research-informed policy changes and future best practices for supporting at-risk and displaced scholars, thinking carefully about gender inequities and challenges posed by systemic barriers.
Moderator:	Catherine Khordoc, Deputy Provost (Academic Operations and Planning), Carleton University
Speakers:	Dr. Shuchi Karim, Research Chair Coordinator, IDRC Research Chairs Network on Forced Displacement, Adjunct Research Professor, Sociology and Anthropology, Contract Instructor, Carleton University
	Caroline Ford, Director, Democratic and Inclusive Governance Division, International Development and Research Centre
	Dr. Charles Reeve, Professor & Associate Dean, Arts & Science, OCAD University, SAR Canada Co-Chair
	Norah Vollmer, Manger, Faculty Affairs, Carleton University, SAR Carleton Co-Chair, SAR Canada Steering Committee