“Professor Simons is a distinguished scholar, mentor and communicator whose research agenda continues to advance the research clusters within the University of Ottawa’s Strategic Areas of Research. Her work contributes to furthering the position of our institution in terms of research excellence and increased competitiveness on the international scene”, former Dean Adam Dodek said.
Interim Dean Alain Roussy added: “Professor Simons is an outstanding scholar and advocate who has distinguished herself as a global leader in the field of business and human rights. The Common Law Section is exceptionally proud of her appointment as the Gordon Henderson Chair in Human Rights, and we look forward to supporting her ongoing research and advocacy on corporate accountability and access to justice for victims of corporate-related violations of human rights.”
During her three-year mandate as Gordon Henderson Chair in Human Rights, Professor Simons will focus on access to effective remedies for those affected by resource extraction within Canada. The research will build on her deep expertise in resource extraction and human rights, and regulatory responses to extractive-related human rights violations, including the gendered impacts of resource extraction and gendered nature of such regulatory responses.
Knowledge mobilization, through scholarship, collaborations with civil society organizations, expert testimony and other formal and informal presentations to policy makers, strategic interventions in court cases, opinion editorials and proposals for policy and law reform, will ensure the dissemination, accessibility, and impact of her research beyond academic audiences.
Penelope Simons has a long history of collaboration with the Centre. She has served on its Management Committee for many years and was Interim Director for five months in 2013-2014. Penelope is also currently the Academic Advisor to the Business and Human Rights in the Americas Project of the HRREC Human Rights Clinic. We, at the Centre, look very much forward to working with Penelope and support her research agenda!