Dr. Charlene Senn – Distinguished University Professor
Dr. Charlene Senn has served the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences in the fields of Social Psychology and Women’s and Gender Studies with distinction for over 30 years.
She holds two of the highest honours in the Canadian academic community: a Tier One CIHR Canada Research Chair in Sexual Violence and was named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. She holds two of the highest honours in the Canadian academic community: a Tier One CIHR Canada Research Chair in Sexual Violence; and was named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
Dr. Senn is the quintessential scholar activist whose research and teaching not only enriches the intellectual lives of her students, but also enhances and improves their safety from sexual violence. Her trailblazing EAAA (Enhanced Assess, Acknowledge, Act) sexual assault resistance program has been shown to significantly reduce attempted and completed rapes amongst university aged women. This groundbreaking research has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine, was covered by the New York Times, and was featured as cutting-edge work from Canada as part of the United Nations World Psychology Day in 2021.
Dr. Senn’s research has been awarded over $11 million in external funding and has resulted in approximately 70 peer-reviewed publications, several of which are co-authored with her students. She has supervised over 50 doctoral and master’s students along with three postdoctoral fellows and has served on over 80 graduate committees. She is a pathbreaking mentor whose practice is firmly rooted in equitable, diverse, inclusive and decolonizing practice and has been recognized through prestigious faculty, university and national teaching awards.
Dr. Senn has been invited to speak on over 75 occasions in New Zealand, Brazil, Australia, and across North America. She has been cited over 4,500 times and is the recipient of several national and international research awards. Her research has led to the creation of our own university’s successful Bystander and Flip the Script (EAAA) programs that teach our students how to recognize and prevent sexual violence amongst themselves and their peers. These programs have helped propel the University of Windsor to the top of national rankings for sexual violence prevention and support and have been adopted and adapted by numerous universities in Canada as well as in the United States and globally.
Dr. Senn’s career as a teacher, researcher, advocate, and trailblazer has been exemplary, immensely impactful and truly inspirational. She is most worthy of the rank of Distinguished University Professor.
Jennifer Willet, PhD