91ĹÝÜ˝

Clare McGovern

Political Science

Clare McGovern is a Senior Lecturer in SFU's Department of Political Science, specializing in human rights law, Canadian politics and separatist movements. She completed a law degree from the University of Oxford before working for the UK National Audit Office. In that job, she reported to Parliament on programs in the British criminal justice system and peacekeeping missions in the Balkans. After moving to Canada, she completed her PhD in Political Science at UBC. Her research focuses on experiential teaching methods and the constitutionality of independence referendums. 

Eline de Rooij

Political Science 

Eline de Rooij is a professor of Political Science at SFU. She holds a DPhil in Sociology from the University of Oxford. Her work focuses on how we can encourage people who don’t typically vote or participate in politics, like newcomers to Canada, to do so, thereby increasing their voice in politics. She studies how individuals become politically interested, knowledgeable and informed, and how political actors can mobilize individuals to be politically active. In her research, she also pays particular attention to the role of group identities and interactions with others in fostering political engagement. De Rooij enjoys teaching and mentoring students at all levels and on a range of subjects and research topics. She has taught a wide variety of courses, from the very first introductory course on politics and government, to upper-level seminars on topics such as identity politics, to graduate courses on research design and methods, including statistical and experimental methods.

Jason Brown

Global Humanities 

Jason Brown was born and raised in Southern California and studied anthropology and international development as an undergraduate at Brigham Young University. He has lived in Vancouver, BC since 2013 and became a Canadian citizen in 2024. He earned joint master’s degrees in forestry and theology from Yale. He completed his PhD in 2017 from the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES) at the University of British Columbia. His dissertation research explored the sense of place and attachment to land of contemporary Catholic monks in the American West. The dissertation was published as Dwelling in the Wilderness: Modern Monks in the American West (2024). As a Lecturer at 91ĹÝÜ˝, Jason teaches courses in religious studies and ecological humanities for the Department of Global Humanities. Since 2023, he has piloted an ecological chaplaincy program at SFU which seeks to bring contemplative practice to build resilience to climate anxiety and ecological grief. 

Kicya7 Joyce Schneider

Indigenous Studies

As an Úcwalmicw instructor of Indigenous pedagogies, Schneider’s research centers on facilitating respectful forms of engagement with knowledges from Nations not our own. She has designed a four protocols approach to doing this work in her teaching practice, and her students work with this framework as a means of reconciling their education on unceded Indigenous lands. She also leads workshops on making meaningful land acknowledgements and her latest publication argues that the gaps in transformative learning theory must be addressed through a local Indigenous knowledge(s)’ lens to reconcile the colonizing frames of reference informing post-secondary systems, policies, and practices.

Molly Cairncross

Psychology

Molly Cairncross is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, Investigator at BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, and clinical psychologist. Her research aims to better understand risk and resilience factors associated with recovery from mild traumatic brain injury, or concussion. Using these insights, she aims to develop, test, and implement digital health interventions to support youth and their families after concussion. Her goal is to use digital platforms to connect youth and families with evidence-based knowledge and care that is accessible, cost effective, and informed by the needs of patients, families, and health care providers. Cairncross teaches courses on developmental psychopathology, child and adolescent assessment and treatment formulation, and biological bases of behaviour. Her teaching philosophy is grounded in the concept that learning occurs best when students are actively engaged, material is viewed as relevant to their lives, and instructors can evoke emotional or memorable learning experiences.

Sumercan Bozkurt-Gungen

International Studies

Sumercan Bozkurt-Gungen’s research examines 21st-century development strategies and political regime changes in the global South through the lens of labour and social reproduction. She has published articles in journals such as Third World Quarterly, Journal of International Relations & Development, and South European Society and Politics. Her teaching portfolio features a wide range of subjects in International Studies, including global poverty and inequality, work and employment in the global economy, social movements in the global South, development ethics, and research methods in international studies. Bozkurt holds a PhD in Political Science from Middle East Technical University. Before joining SFU in 2019, she taught at York University. Her teaching is guided by “critical hope,” an approach that critically engages with and acknowledges the origins and structural dynamics of systemic challenges while balancing this recognition with hope for change rooted in collective agency. Currently, she is leading a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Project focused on incorporating “critical hope” into teaching about 21st-century global political and economic challenges.

Jason Proulx

Psychology

Driven by a deep passion for teaching, Jason Proulx co-created inclusive and engaging learning spaces with students to help them feel seen, supported, and inspired to grow. Jason was recognized for his innovative and student-centred teaching in which he made complex ideas accessible and meaningful through storytelling, demonstrations, and grounded in students’ diverse everyday experiences. His teaching emphasized growth—empowering students to gain mastery through regular practice and guidance—and helping students apply their learning beyond the classroom to support their daily lives, communities, and future careers. Students describe his classes as “a breath of fresh air,” highlighting his warmth, approachability, and ability to spark curiosity. As a community-engaged researcher, Jason studied how to foster well-being, social connection, and prosocial behaviour. Jason applied this research into the classroom so that students left not just with new knowledge and skills, but the friendships and joyful memories that last a lifetime. Sadly, Jason passed away suddenly in late August 2025, but this award commemorates his passion for and commitment to teaching that will remain.

Samuel Basoah

Economics

Samuel Basoah after completing his studies at the University of Ghana as the Best Economics Student for two consecutive years, joined the master's program in Economics at 91ĹÝÜ˝ in 2019, completing it with distinction within a year. Currently, he is pursuing a PhD in Economics and is proficient in seven languages including English, French, and intermediate Mandarin Chinese.

His teaching philosophy is grounded in the belief that effective education empowers, transforms, and equips students not only with knowledge but with the critical tools to solve real world problems. Samuel has served as a Teaching Assistant (TA) for over 20 courses, actively playing a pivotal role in his department’s study nights, workshops and mentoring programs. He has mentored around 15 Teaching Assistants and consistently ranks in the top five of his department’s TA evaluations. In recognition of his outstanding teaching, he received the Terry Heaps Award for Teaching Excellence in 2024.