Justin Langlois Appointed AVP Research + Dean, Graduate Studies

Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECU) is pleased to announce the official appointment of Justin Langlois as Associate Vice President (AVP) of Research + Dean of Graduate Studies. Justin has been acting as interim since 2022.

“In this role, I have the privilege of collaborating with a diverse range of students, faculty, and staff across the university,” Justin says. “It’s incredibly rewarding to support so many graduate student projects and research initiatives, and I am very grateful to be able to continue to serve our community in this role and advance ECU's vision of excellence in art, design, media education, and research.”

As a member of the university’s leadership team, Justin will guide ECU’s graduate programs and research initiatives. Overseeing this portfolio, he will support faculty and student research, refine curricula and operational reporting, foster partnerships with academic and industry entities, and continue to build on his team's successes over the last few years.

“Together, we've been able to move forward on a lot of important initiatives that will ensure continued success for the ECU community,” reflected Justin. “We've launched the new 2023-28 Strategic Research Plan, secured the $2.25 million NSERC Mobilize grant, initiated ECU's first community-wide EDI survey through our NSERC EDI Capacity Building Grant, and created numerous opportunities for graduate students across various stages of their academic journey. All of these initiatives provide invaluable resources and empower our academic community to thrive and shape a better future together.”

President + Vice-Chancellor at ECU, Trish Kelly, has witnessed Justin’s principled leadership since stepping into the role and through the key projects they have collaborated on.

"I am thrilled to welcome Justin into the permanent role of Associate Vice President, Research + Dean of Graduate Studies,” says Trish. “Justin has proven himself to be an amazing leader of our research community. With his efforts, ECU has increased external partnerships, prioritized projects focused on material research and practice-based inquiry, and extended the reputation of our graduate programs. He has been a true champion of social justice and equity in post-secondary education. Under his continuing stewardship, I am incredibly excited about the work ahead.”

Justin joined ECU in 2013 and also currently serves as an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Culture and Community (CAC). From 2017-19, he served as the Assistant Dean of Integrated Learning in CAC, and from 2019-21, as the Associate Dean of MFA Programs in the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

Justin is an artist, writer, and educator whose practice explores collaboration, social engagement, and creative pedagogy through text-based works, long-term participatory projects, and public installations. His work has been presented at the Centre Pompidou (Paris), the Museum of Contemporary Art (Toronto), Conflux New York, Nuit Blanche (Toronto), Creative Time Summit (Venice Biennale), Open Engagement (Pittsburgh), CAFKA (Kitchener), Art Souterrain (Montreal), Art Moves (Poland), Manif D’art Biennial (Quebec City), along with galleries and artist-run centres across Canada, and public art installations in North Vancouver, Vancouver, and Windsor.

His writing has been published in C Magazine, Canadian Art, the Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Open Engagement, Esse, Curb Magazine, and Scapegoat, and books such as Artistic Approaches to Cultural Mapping (Routledge), Art as Social Action (Allworth), and The Everyday Practice of Public Art (Routledge).

Throughout his time at ECU, Justin has made important contributions to the Vancouver art scene through his sharp and thoughtful public art. As the inaugural artist-in-residence with the City of Vancouver, Justin’s expansive text piece Should I be worried? can be found near the Cambie Bridge on the southside of False Creek and deals with climate grief and anxiety and prompted surprising and spirited conversation for Vancouverites. Another public artwork in North Vancouver, Where else would you rather be? invites residents and passersby to consider their relationship to place and examine their sense of belonging. He also currently serves on the board of Other Sights for Artists’ Projects and previously served on the board of 221A.