Scholars Adeola Adedapo and Todd Blayone have been named the recipients of the 2024 Provost's Postdoctoral Fellowships for Black and Indigenous Scholars and will lead research projects focused on clean drinking water and Indigenous-AI relations.
An annual award established in 2021, the Provost's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program seeks to attract outstanding scholars who will push the boundaries of knowledge in necessary ways. The fellowship includes a salary of $70,000 provided each year for a two-year term. Award recipients can dedicate their time to pursuing a proposed project while working alongside a supervisor and other mentors.
"These extraordinary scholars represent the next generation of cutting-edge research at York. They are tackling deep and demanding problems in their postdoctoral research projects, from Indigenous sociocultural resurgence to sustainable solutions for drinking water management," Alice MacLachlan, vice-provost and dean Graduate Studies said. "Both fellows represent the scholarly excellence and social engagement we aim to foster in our graduate and postdoctoral research community. It is an honour to host them at York, and to witness the next chapter in their research trajectories."
The Provost's fellowship program seeks to address the under-representation of Black and Indigenous scholars in many disciplines and fields of research and associated careers. The initiative aims to enchance supportive mentorship and network-building opportunities for under-represented scholars. Recipients of the fellowship are provided with collegial resources, supervision, mentorship and funded time to help them achieve their chosen career goals. The fellowships promote the inclusion, integration and nurturing of diverse backgrounds, pieces of knowledges and ways of researching, thinking, communicating and relating to providing equitable access to opportunities for emerging scholars.
Adedapo is completing his PhD in chemistry at the University of Pretoria. His research project is an investigation of nanoplastic accumulation in drinking water supplies with a lens on risk assessment and sustainable development. He will be supervised by Stephanie Gora in the Civil Engineering Department of the Lassonde School of Engineering.
"It is an honour to receive the Provost's Postdoctoral Fellowship for Black and Indigenous Scholars at York University," Adedapo said.
"My gratitude goes to York University for its commitment to fostering diversity and excellence, and to my host supervisor, Prof. Stephanie Gora, for her unwavering support. This unique opportunity will allow me to contribute to advancing sustainable solutions for drinking water management while mentoring the next generation of scientists/engineers. I am excited to embark on this journey of impactful research and intellectual growth as a Black scholar."
Blayone completed his PhD in digital media studies at the Technology University of Dublin. His research area of interest is Indigenous-AI relations. He will be supervised by Sean Hillier, of the Faculty of Health and Centre for Indigenous Knowledges and Languages (CIKL).
"I am honoured to join York University as the 2025-26 Provost's Indigenous Postdoctoral Fellow (Métis Nation of Ontario) with the supervisory support of Professor Sean Hillier," Blayone said.
"My two-year plan of work features several integrated projects positioned at the intersection of machine intelligence and Indigenous sociocultural resurgence. The foundations are interdisciplinary, incorporating social psychology, computer science, Indigenous studies and hands-on technical exploration. Importantly, I adopt a pragmatic opportunity perspective' catalyzed by human agency, open-source ecosystems and hacktivist culture. The guiding question is: how is (and how might) emerging intelligent systems (e.g., human + GenAI) be used to facilitate and investigate Indigenous sociocultural resurgence at the level of individuals and small groups?"
Learn more about the Provost's Postdoctoral Fellowships for Black and Indigenous Scholars at York University by visiting the Faculty of Graduate Studies' website.
This story was originally featured in YFile, York University's community newsletter.
