[GTranslate]TORONTO – One of the two teaching fellowships awarded every year throughout the University of Toronto went to an Italian professor: Paola Salardi (in the pic), Assistant Professor in Economics and director of the Trudeau Center for Peace, Conflict and Justice at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto.

Graduated from “Bocconi” in Milan in 2003, after a master’s degree and a doctorate from the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom, Salardi arrived in Toronto and focused on the short and long-term consequences of conflicts on welfare, on the changing role of women in post-war countries, the presence of violence and the inequality and empowerment of women, making a broad geographical focus on inequality and discrimination in Brazil, violence and school performance in Mexico, l education and empowerment of women in East Timor and humanitarian responses to crises in Kenya, Nepal and the Philippines. Paola also worked at the Inter-American Development Bank and as a consultant with “UN WOMEN”.

In recent days, she was selected as the recipient of the University of Toronto Teaching Scholarship 2021-22: she will now be able to engage in a two-year pedagogical project that promotes education in areas related to sustainability, the economy or to global justice.

In particular, Salardi’s project will focus on designing an introductory course in data analysis for students of the Peace, Conflict and Justice (PCJ) program at Munk School. The aim of the course is to introduce quantitative and research methods to non-specialists in an engaging and accessible way.

“Done well, this new course can be transformative, opening new horizons and possibilities for our students,” comments Paola. “It would provide a truly unique offering compared to what’s available elsewhere.”

“We are thrilled that Salardi’s educational leadership is being recognized by the University,” says Cheryl Misak, acting director of the Munk School, on the institute’s website  (https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/). “The pedagogical research it is undertaking and the broader learning that will result from it speaks directly to the aspirations of the Munk School in building new and innovative approaches to university teaching.”

“Salardi is an exceptionally talented colleague, a formidable educator and scholar. Her curriculum in offering provides students with unique learning opportunities” says Ron Levi, associate director of Munk School, academic. “Her course proposal is important and will have a significant impact”.