ComCult PhD student receives $20K international research award

Communication and Culture (ComCult) PhD student Lorenzo Vargas has received a $20,000 boost for his research on the role of community radio in developing more inclusive environmental policies in the Amazon regions of Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador. 

Vargas is the only recipient from TMU to receive a 2023 International Doctoral Research Award from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The fund supports 25 doctoral researchers at 12 Canadian universities.

The IDRC award will enable Vargas to conduct field research and support the development of training modules for local broadcasters. “This will help ensure that my research is contributing to local change and not simply extracting information from local communities,” said Vargas, who plans to use a portion of the funds to disseminate his research findings to policymakers and the broader public.

What inspires your research?

The belief that the people most impacted by the effects of climate change, such as peasant and Indigenous communities in the Amazon, should play a central role in the development of policies seeking to address the climate crisis. These policies need to be rooted in local perspectives and knowledge for them to be effective, and that is impossible unless local communities have a voice and can help to shape those policies. And given the many communication and information deficits in the region related to very limited internet connectivity and the general lack of information in local languages, I am convinced that community radio can play a central role in giving these communities a platform to have their voices heard.

How is your TMU graduate education preparing you to be career-ready?

The focus on social justice and policy impact of the ComCult program has been very helpful. It has allowed me to orient my research towards the idea of mobilizing knowledge for the benefit of local communities affected by climate change. There are also very interesting discussions at the university around decolonization and creating space for different ways of thinking and knowing beyond Western models that have been very inspiring for me.

What advice do you have for graduate students?

I would say that it's always important to think of ways to make our research impactful in terms of positive social or environmental change. We have a lot of privilege as graduate students because we have a platform to highlight important issues. It’s important to use that platform to try and create change.