Professor Maria Gurevich from the Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Artshas been named the 2016/2017 Ryerson Fellow at Massey College. The Massey Fellowship is the result of a partnership between Ryerson and Massey College at the University of Toronto, which facilitates the appointment of a Ryerson faculty member to the college for a one-year research leave.

Gurevich joined the Department of Psychology at Ryerson in 2001, following a two-year (1999-2001) Clinical/Research Fellowship in Psychosocial Oncology at Princess Margaret Hospital (University Health Network). She is the lab director of the SHiFT Lab (Sexuality Hub: Integrating Feminist Theory) at Ryerson, where a team of researchers comprised of undergraduate and graduate students examine the cultural, medical and political forces that shape sexual messages, mandates and practices. A key focus of their work is the role of rapidly evolving sexual technologies on changing conceptions of sexual and relational health, normalcy and satisfaction. One such current SSHRC-funded project addresses sexual enhancement medication use.

“Maria has undertaken extraordinary research at the SHiFT Lab, and I’m very pleased she has been granted this year’s fellowship,” said Chris Evans, interim provost and vice president academic. “This fellowship provides an opportunity for Maria and our student researchers to collaborate with the Massey College community of scholars to advance their research and find new academic, political and cultural touchpoints for their work.”

As a fellow, Gurevich will be invited to take part in the academic and social events of the college, and will be provided with an office. The SHiFT Lab will remain a priority during the fellowship, where she will pursue interdisciplinary collaborative opportunities with the Massey College community.

“I am honored to be Ryerson’s representative at Massey College,” said Gurevich. “Massey College’s mission of fostering intellectual exchange to serve both academic and societal goals is optimally aligned with the SHiFT lab’s critical focus on how academic knowledge intersects with the public imaginary. As a unique residential community for graduate students, Massey College will act as a model extension hub to support the SHiFT lab’s graduate student research.”

Gurevich is the consulting editor of Psychology of Women Quarterly and is a member of multiple professional associations including the International Society for Theoretical Psychology (ISTP), where she sits as an executive committee member. As part of her ISTP role, she is on the program committee of the 17th Biennial Conference of the International Society for Theoretical Psychology 2017 in Tokyo, Japan.

Gurevich is the fifth Ryerson professor to be named a fellow at Massey College. Previous appointees include Michael Coutanche from the RTA School of Media, Mehrunnisa Ahmad Ali from the School of Early Childhood Studies, John Shields from the Department of Politics and Public Administration, and Frank Russo from the Department of Psychology.

Lorella Di Cintio, professor, School of Interior Design, and Ling Guan, professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering have also been named visiting scholars at Massey College. They will have their own set of privileges while holding this appointment.