Mount Allison University researchers have received a combined $375,465 from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) through its 2026 Insight Grant and Insight Development Grant competitions.

Classics professor Dr. Ilaria Battiloro received a $275,465 Insight Grant for her project, Indigenous Narratives and Greek Interaction in Southern Italy: The Torre Mordillo Archaeological Project.

The research builds on the Mount Allison-led Torre Mordillo Archaeological Project, launched in 2023 to investigate a previously understudied site near the ancient Greek city of Sybaris in southern Italy.

The 14-hectare settlement was inhabited up until the third century BCE by Indigenous communities known as the Oenotrians and, later, the Brettians. Battiloro’s research will explore the relationships between these communities and Greek settlers, challenging traditional narratives that have often portrayed cultural exchange as a one-way process led by the Greeks.

“I am deeply grateful for SSHRC funding, which is essential to the continued success of the Torre Mordillo Archaeological Project,” says Dr. Battiloro. “This support makes possible the sustained, multi-year investigations required to understand the site's long and dynamic history. Continued research is crucial for reconstructing patterns of settlement, production, and interaction over time, including through specialized archaeometric analyses of ceramics and archaeobotanical studies that provide fundamental insights into past technologies, economies, land use, and environmental change.

The project will explore how Indigenous communities maintained and adapted their identities, shaped relationships with neighbouring populations, and contributed to the cultural, political, and economic life of the region. The funding will also support continued fieldwork, student training, scientific analysis, and international collaboration.

The Torre Mordillo Archaeological Project offers students an exceptional opportunity to become active participants in an international archaeological research endeavour. Through fieldwork, laboratory analysis, and collaboration with scholars from diverse backgrounds, students engage directly with the process of archaeological discovery while developing valuable transferable skills in research, critical thinking, teamwork, and heritage interpretation. These experiences provide meaningful preparation for a wide range of academic and professional pathways while contributing to the ongoing study and preservation of an extraordinary archaeological landscape.

Drama and Screen Studies professor Dr. Sarah Fanning received a $100,000 Insight Development Grant for the project “In secret kept, in silence sealed”: Reframing the Life of Charlotte Brontë through Genomics and Literary History.

The multi-disciplinary project brings together Fanning, Biology professor Dr. Vett Lloyd, and University Archivist David Mawhinney to explore how genomic evidence could contribute to the understanding of Charlotte Brontë’s life and literary history.

“This is a powerful affirmation of the project’s importance,” says Dr. Fanning.  “It gives us the opportunity to work collaboratively with an international team of leading researchers, will bring new and scientifically informed perspectives to the Brontes and their cultural legacy, and share that work with the public in an accessible way. It also positions Mount Allison [as a leader] of this innovative interdisciplinary work.” 

Best known as the author of Jane Eyre, Brontë has been the subject of much speculation and public fascination for more than 150 years. The Mount Allison team will bring genomics, specifically the analysis of DNA through a lock of Bronte’s hair, in with literary and archival research, considering scientific findings alongside Brontë’s writing, historical records, and the stories that have shaped her public legacy.

The project will also explore the ethical and interpretive questions involved in studying biological material connected to a historical figure, including issues of privacy, provenance, and the limitations of genomic evidence.

Mount Allison Provost and Vice-President, Academic and Research Dr. Richard Isnor says the projects demonstrate the breadth and collaborative nature of research at the University. “These grants recognize the strength, creativity, and range of research taking place at Mount Allison,” he says. “Both projects bring together different perspectives and research methods to reconsider long-standing historical narratives. They will also create valuable opportunities for collaboration, student learning, and the wider sharing of knowledge.”

About SSHRC
The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada is the federal research funding agency that promotes and supports postsecondary-based research and research training in the humanities and social sciences.