Political science fellowship pays tribute and garners global attention

This fall is going to be charged with emotion for Dr. Cheri Stanzeleit and Adam Grosjean.

For starters, the inaugural recipient of the Mark Grosjean Postdoctoral Fellowship in Political Science — a tribute award the couple established in their late son’s name — begins his work at the University of Calgary this month. 

And they will meet the deserving scholar, Dr. Noam Titelman, PhD.

“I don’t want to put too much pressure on Noam, but this is a big deal,” says Adam. “I’m sure he understands the weight of this.”

The timing, too, is heavy. Had he lived, Mark, BA’17, would be embarking on his own postdoctoral fellowship this year. “So, the date is quite meaningful,” says Cheri, MD’91. “This was a target for us — to acknowledge that milestone.”

The poignancy is not lost on Titelman.

While finishing a postdoctoral placement at the AxPo Observatory of Market Society Polarization in Paris, Titelman learned of UCalgary’s prestigious new fellowship on the International Political Science Association’s website. He was intrigued by the opportunity — and the backstory.

“One thing I find amazing is the way it’s been created. It has the name Grosjean for a reason,” says Titelman, who earned two undergraduate degrees from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, plus a master’s and doctorate from the London School of Economics and Political Science in the U.K. 

“I feel honoured to have been selected as the first recipient. I’m looking forward to pushing this fellowship forward, making those people involved proud of whatever comes out of it.”

Through research combining a rigorous quantitative approach with qualitative measures that engage with the lived experiences of individuals, Titelman says he plans to examine the resiliency of democracy, “because once it’s gone, it’s really hard to recover. 

“Those challenges are important to understand,” says the native of Santiago, Chile. “How you rebuild trust in institutions is something that’s influenced my research.”

Keeping Mark Grosjean’s name and legacy alive through student awards

Mark’s parents are keen to watch Titelman’s academic journey unfold at UCalgary, knowing that their philanthropy was integral. “We thought we would do this to help young scholars get a footing because we are no longer able to do it for our son,” says Cheri.

Mark died of a medical event while skiing in Panorama, B.C., on March 12, 2018 — the same day he officially accepted an offer into the direct-entry PhD program in political philosophy at the University of Toronto. Cheri and Adam were determined to commemorate their boy. With donations to the Faculty of Arts, two undergraduate awards — the Mark Grosjean Memorial Award for Conference Travel and the Mark Grosjean Memorial Scholarship in Political Science — were soon created. 

Then, in 2020, work began on the postdoctoral fellowship’s framework. Originally structured as a legacy gift, the fellowship was activated by Cheri and Adam so they could see the impact of their donation. 

“What makes their gift so moving is that it is born out of this deep love for Mark, not just as their son, but for his decision to pursue his own path through a career in political science,” says Dr. Joshua Goldstein, PhD, associate professor in UCalgary’s Department of Political Science, chair of the Mark Grosjean Postdoctoral Fellowship Committee and Mark’s BA Honours thesis supervisor. “They loved Mark and respected the choices he made for the kind of life he wanted to build. 

“Beautiful, loving — a real act of generosity.”

Early career support vital for scholars

Worth $70,000 per year, plus benefits and $6,000 in research funds, the 24-month fellowship provides vital early career support for promising scholars. And eligibility is unrestricted — open to applicants of any citizenship studying any area of political science. 

Not surprisingly, the best-in-kind award is gaining traction in the global political science community. “It is absolutely on the rise,” says Goldstein. “It is impressive to see in any fellowship, yet alone one just launched.”

Over coffee one afternoon in August, the day before what would’ve been Mark’s 30th birthday, Cheri and Adam talked about their son; his musical and athletic gifts, his humble and caring nature, and, of course, his academic ambitions. “He wanted to produce a PhD thesis that would make a difference,” says Cheri. “Not something read by just him and his profs, but something meaningful.”

Titelman feels the same way; he knows there will always be a place for pure research. “But I’m also a strong believer in translating that into things that hopefully appeal to a wider audience,” he says. “I hope to develop some sort of policy proposals that might be more immediate.”

Eager to start, Titelman cannot wait to collaborate with Dr. Jack Lucas, PhD, professor in the Department of Political Science, someone whose work he’s admired from a distance for years. He’s even referenced Lucas in published papers. “It looked like serendipity that this fellowship was offered,” Titelman says.

Lucas also happened to be a mentor of Mark’s.

“We are excited to finally see this fellowship come to fruition,” says Adam. “It was important to have a legacy for our son. He didn’t have a chance to make his mark because he died way too soon. He would’ve been proud of this.”