Professor Yasmin Dawood named member of Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists

Internationally renowned election law scholar, Professor Yasmin Dawood, has been named a member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, an outstanding honour, and one of six from the University of Toronto.

Dawood holds a Canada Research Chair in Democracy, Constitutionalism and Electoral Law and is cross-appointed to the department of political science.

• See the full RSC list here
• Read more from U of T News about Professor Dawood’s RSC membership
• Listen to Prof. Dawood's interview on CBC Radio's "Metro Morning" about the notwithstanding clause
• Watch Prof. Dawood's interview on CBC News Network about the notwithstanding clause
• Watch a short video of Prof. Dawood discussing her research

Comparative and interdisciplinary in nature, Dawood’s groundbreaking research draws upon election law, political theory, empirical social science, legal theory, comparative constitutional law and law and courts. Her expertise on election law has made major contributions and has been at the forefront on important public issues in Canada. She is currently working on a project investigating how courts adjudicate in conflicts that arise in election laws, and comparing assessments in different countries. She has testified before Parliament on the issue of fair elections and organized a public forum at the law school on the Fair Elections Act, which was subsequently aired on the Canadian Parliamentary Channel, CPAC.

Professor Dawood received a PhD in political science from the University of Chicago, a JD from Columbia Law School, and an Honours BA in political science from the University of Toronto. She is admitted to the Bar of New York and she practiced law with the firm of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton LLP in New York. Prior to joining the Faculty of Law in 2009, she was a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for Ethics, University of Toronto. 

The RSC college was established in 2014 to recognize and foster leadership and interdisciplinary collaboration among Canada’s new generation of scholars, artists and scientists who received their PhD within the last 15 years.