Fiona Kelly

Being a Trudeau scholar provided me with an enormous variety of unique intellectual and social opportunities that greatly enriched my doctoral program experience. While there were many highlights, perhaps the most notable was the opportunity to meet with scholars from a wide variety of disciplines who were willing to engage in intellectual debate that crossed their disciplinary boundaries. It is rare that we talk to scholars outside of our field, yet it is only through such dialogue that we are likely to solve some of the most challenging social issues that face our planet. By bringing together such a diverse group of scholars and encouraging us to share and debate our ideas, the Trudeau Foundation has provided me with both a new perspective on academic engagement and a number of lifelong intellectual connections. In short, the Foundation both brings alive the concept of inter-disciplinarity, and highlights the important role the concept must play in the quest for progressive social change."

Biography

Fiona Kelly joined the UBC Faculty of Law in July 2007. Prior to joining the Faculty full-time, Fiona was as a Sessional Instructor at UBC. Fiona completed her PhD in Law in 2007. During her time as a Doctoral student she was the recipient of numerous scholarships and awards, including the Trudeau Doctoral Scholarship, the Killam Pre-Doctoral Scholarship, the Law Commission of Canada's Audacity of Imagination Award, and the BC Law Foundation Fellowship.

Before coming to Canada in 2002, Professor Kelly taught in the Faculty of Law at the University of Melbourne, clerked at the Family Court of Australia, and worked as a Research Officer at the Australian Institute of Family Studies, an interdisciplinary research institute that conducts qualitative and quantitative research on issues affecting families. Her academic interests include family law, tort law, children and the law, sexuality and the law, and feminist legal theory.