Research at the University of British Columbia has received a $20-million boost with the appointment and renewal of 29 Canada Research Chairs (CRC) last week. Richard Johnston, a professor of Political Science in the Faculty of Arts, is among the 15 new appointees.
Using survey and archival data to study public opinion and elections in Canada and abroad, Professor Johnston’s research will shed light on the intricate interaction between electoral institutions and voters’ behaviour.
As a Tier One chair, Johnston will receive $1 million in funding over seven years to further his research. The UBC chairs were named in December 2010 in Ottawa as part of a national announcement of 310 chairs across Canada – totaling $275.6 million – in celebration of the national research program’s 10th anniversary.
“For the past decade, the Canada Research Chairs program has played a instrumental role in ensuring that Canadian universities remain competitive in the recruitment and retention of the brightest minds in the world,” says John Hepburn, Vice President Research and International at UBC. “The program’s positive impact on the generation of new knowledge – and the knowledge-driven economy – cannot be overstated.”
Johnston’s plans are to expand and pursue his research in the historical reconstruction of post war US-elections and to conduct a comparative study of campaign dynamics. His findings will serve as a summary of his research and lend an insight into the problems that modern politics has inherited from the past.
