{{short description|Canadian historian}} {{Infobox person | name = Chad Gaffield | honorific_suffix = OC FRSC | image = Chad-Gaffield.jpg | caption = Gaffield in 2021 | occupation = Historian | employer = University of Ottawa | known_for = Digital humanities, science policy | title = Distinguished University Professor and Professor of History Emeritus | awards = Officer of the Order of Canada<br>Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada }} '''Chad Gaffield''' {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|OC|FRSC}} is a Distinguished University Professor and Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Ottawa in Canada. He is known for his expertise on the sociocultural history of Canada, as a pioneer of the digital humanities, and for his role in Canadian science policy.<ref name="uottca">{{Cite web |title=Chad Gaffield |url=https://research.uottawa.ca/people/gaffield-chad |access-date=February 7, 2017 |publisher=uottawa.ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Gaffield, Chad |url=https://arts.uottawa.ca/history/people/gaffield-chad |access-date=February 7, 2017 |publisher=uottawa.ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=History of Education in Canada |url=https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/history-of-education |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=thecanadianencyclopedia.ca |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Owens |first=Brian |date=2023-06-14 |title=A new era of research security |url=https://universityaffairs.ca/features/a-new-era-of-research-security/ |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=University Affairs |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Dr. Chad Gaffield |url=https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/146-4665 |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=The Governor General of Canada |language=en}}</ref>
== Education == Chad Gaffield received his BA and MA from McGill University, and his PhD from the University of Toronto.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gaffield |first=Chad |url=https://bac-lac.on.worldcat.org/oclc/15882426?lang=en |title=Cultural challenge in eastern Ontario : land, family and education in the nineteenth century |publisher=University of Toronto, Thesis, Dissertation |publication-date=1978}}</ref>
== Career == Dr. Gaffield served as president of the Canadian Historical Association from 2000 to 2001<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chad Gaffield (2000-2001) Canadian Historical Association - Société historique du Canada |url=https://cha-shc.ca/about/the-questionnaire-to-past-cha-presidents/chad-gaffield-2000-2001/ |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=Canadian Historical Association |language=en-US}}</ref> and led the interdisciplinary, multi-institutional and cross-sectoral Canadian Century Research Infrastructure (CCRI) initiative from 2001 to 2008.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gaffield |first=Chad |date=Spring 2007 |title=Conceptualizing and Constructing the Canadian Century Research Infrastructure |url=https://ruor.uottawa.ca/server/api/core/bitstreams/97508d04-ffca-4675-9454-0087116dad31/content |journal=Historical Methods |volume=40 |issue=2 |pages=54–64 |doi=10.3200/HMTS.40.2.54-64 |hdl=10393/36247 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>
He was appointed President and CEO of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) in 2006 and served in this role until 2014. As president of SSHRC, he helped define a new model of innovation that reaffirms the contributions of social sciences and humanities research to our society, economy and quality of life.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Chad Gaffield resigning as president of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/chad-gaffield-resigning-as-president-of-social-sciences-and-humanities-research-council |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250703014028/https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/chad-gaffield-resigning-as-president-of-social-sciences-and-humanities-research-council |archive-date=2025-07-03 |access-date=2025-08-12 |work=ottawacitizen |language=en}}</ref>
In 2016, Dr. Gaffield became President-elect of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC), Canada’s national academy for all research fields. During his mandate as RSC President, 2017-2019,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-14 |title=RSC Presidents |url=https://rsc-src.ca/en/about/rsc-presidents |access-date=2025-08-21 |website=The Royal Society of Canada |language=en}}</ref> the RSC expanded engagement domestically and internationally including the launch of the G7 Research Summits.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-10-11 |title=Sommet G7 Ottawa Summit {{!}} Media |url=https://rsc-src.ca/en/events/sommet-g7-ottawa-summit-media |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=The Royal Society of Canada |language=en}}</ref>
From 2019 to 2024 he held the University Research Chair in Digital Scholarship at the University of Ottawa and from 2022 to 2025, he served as CEO of U15 Canada.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The U15 appoints Chad Gaffield as its new Executive Director - U15 Canada |url=https://u15.ca/publications/statements-releases/the-u15-appoints-chad-gaffield-as-its-new-executive-director/ |access-date=2025-08-12 |language=en-US}}</ref> As of 2019, he serves on the advisory board of the Leaders' Debates Commission.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Commission |url=https://www.debates-debats.ca/en/about/commission/ |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=Leaders' Debates Commission |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Vigliotti |first=Marco |date=2019-03-22 |title=Ex-politicians Leslie, Manley, Grey to sit on debates' commission advisory board |url=https://www.ipolitics.ca/2019/03/22/ex-politicians-leslie-manley-grey-to-sit-on-debates-commission-advisory-board/ |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=iPolitics |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Select honours ==
* J.B. Tyrrell Historical Medal in (2004) for "outstanding contributions to the study of Canada" * Antonio Zampolli Prize (2011) presented at Stanford University, for "outstanding output in the digital humanities"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Antonio Zampolli Prize Recipients – Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations |url=https://adho.org/awards/antonio-zampolli-prize/recipients/ |access-date=2025-08-12 |language=en-US}}</ref> * Doctor of Laws ''honoris causa'' from Carleton University (2015), "in recognition of his impressive accomplishments as a researcher, a visionary leader, and a spokesperson for the social sciences and humanities in Canada"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chad Gaffield - Senate |url=https://carleton.ca/senate/honorary-degree-guidelines-and-nominations/chad-gaffield/ |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=carleton.ca}}</ref> * Officer in the Order of Canada (2017) for "leadership in interdisciplinary collaboration [that] has transformed the research landscape in Canada"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dr. Chad Gaffield |url=https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/146-4665 |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=The Governor General of Canada |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Malyk |first=Lauren |date=Jun 30, 2017 |title=Nine Ottawans appointed to the Order of Canada |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/nine-ottawans-appointed-to-the-order-of-canada |access-date=Aug 12, 2025 |work=Ottawa Citizen}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [https://chadgaffield.com Official website]{{s-start}} {{s-npo|pro}} {{s-bef | before = Maryse Lassonde }} {{s-ttl | title = President of the Royal Society of Canada | years = 2017–2019 }} {{s-aft | after = Jeremy N. McNeil }} {{s-end}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaffield, Chad}} Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:Academic staff of the University of Ottawa Category:21st-century Canadian historians Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Category:Officers of the Order of Canada Category:Presidents of the Canadian Historical Association Category:People in digital humanities Category:Historians from Ontario
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