Dr. Sheryl Lightfoot

Biography

Sheryl Lightfoot is a globally recognized expert on Indigenous rights and global politics, holding the position of Professor in the Department of Political Science and the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. She was previously a Canada Research Chair in Global Indigenous Rights Politics at the University of British Columbia. In her role, she led the creation and implementation of UBC's Indigenous Strategic Plan, which provided a landmark Indigenous human rights-based framework for institutional transformation. Dr. Lightfoot's research focuses on Indigenous-state relations, the implementation of Indigenous rights frameworks, and the evolving role of Indigenous self-determination in reshaping global politics. She is a leading authority on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and examines its transformative potential in policy practice. Among her recent publications are 'Indigenous Sovereignties: Navigating Global Domestic Politics' and 'Reconciliation Practice: Indigenous Peoples and Settler States', both of which explore critical aspects of Indigenous self-determination, governance, and reconciliation. Her work is widely published in leading academic journals and edited volumes, garnering numerous awards and recognition from academic and policy-making circles. Dr. Lightfoot has also received major grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) to support projects on Indigenous sovereignty and reconciliation. She earned her Ph.D. in International Relations and a master's degree from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.

Research Interests