UNB welcomes one new Canada Research Chair and two renewed chairs in latest round of federal funding
Author: Jeremy Elder-Jubelin
Posted on Oct 26, 2026
Category: UNB Fredericton , Research , UNB Saint John
The Government of Canada has announced its latest round of Canada Research Chair (CRC) funding, which includes three awards to UNB. Dr. Jennifer Storey will join UNB as a tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Intimate Partner Violence Responses, and Dr. Mohsen Mohammadi (CRC in Marine Additive Manufacturing) and Dr. Julia Woodhall-Melnik (CRC in Resilient Communities) have each been renewed for a second term.
The University of New Brunswick welcomes a new Canada Research Chair (CRC) this month, and will see two existing chairs renewed for a second term on Jan. 1. The Government of Canada announced these three CRCs, among a total of 220 across Canada, at an event held at McMaster University on Oct. 23.
Dr. Jennifer Storey joins UNB as a tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Intimate Partner Violence Responses. Storey, a forensic psychologist who previously lectured at the University of Kent in Kent, U.K., will also take up an appointment as a professor in the Department of Psychology and research fellow at UNB’s Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research. Storey holds a PhD from Simon Fraser University.
“I am thrilled to be home in Canada, pursuing research that will make a meaningful difference in the lives of Canadians as they age,” said Storey. “I look forward to collaborating with fellow researchers, community organisations, policymakers, and the public to better understand and respond to intimate partner violence and older adult abuse.”
Storey’s research program incorporates both applied and lab-based research, and focuses on identifying, evaluating, and reducing the risk of interpersonal violence. Her work to date has studied older adult abuse, stalking, violence risk assessment, and intimate partner violence. Storey collaborates with fellow academic researchers as well as frontline professionals, and she consults with organizations on these issues, ensuring that her research is both grounded in, and shared with, the people best placed to reduce victimization.
As CRC, Storey’s research program will especially focus on identifying evidence-based approaches to reducing intimate partner violence toward older adults. By conducting and sharing this research, Storey hopes to help improve understanding of factors that protect against harm, risk assessment, community service responses, and justice system responses. Storey’s CRC comes with $1.4 million in funding over its seven-year term.
In addition to the funding associated with the chair, Storey has also been awarded $75,000 from the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund as part of nearly $8 million in new support for CRCs. That money will support the infrastructure costs associated with establishing her Harm Assessment and Risk Management (HARM) Response Lab.
Two of UNB’s existing tier 2 CRCs will also continue their appointment for a second, five-year term.
Dr. Mohsen Mohammadi was first named as CRC in Marine Additive Manufacturing in early 2022. His second, five-year CRC term will start in January 2027, and will run through the end of 2031. Mohammadi is also director of UNB’s Marine Additive Manufacturing Centre of Excellence and a professor of mechanical engineering.
Dr. Julia Woodhall-Melnik, CRC in Resilient Communities, started her first chair term in August 2021. Her second, five-year term will run through the end of 2031. Woodhall-Melnik, a sociologist by training, is also the founder and co-director of UNB’s Housing, Mobilization & Engagement Research Lab (HOME-RL) and a professor in the Department of Social Science.
Each of these renewed CRCs will receive $500,000 over their five-year term.
“Congratulations to Dr. Storey on her new Canada Research Chair appointment, and to Dr. Mohammadi and Dr. Woodhall-Melnik on their renewals,” said Dr. David MaGee, Vice President Research at UNB. “CRCs are research leaders in their field, and I am proud to welcome Dr. Storey to our university, and to see our researchers recognized for their work in improving Canada’s social and industrial landscapes.”
The Government of Canada also announced the 2026-2027 Research Support Fund (RSF) allocations at the event. In total, UNB will receive $3,636,638 across the base RSF, Incremental Project Grant, and Research Security streams, which help institutions manage the indirect costs of research.