Rahat Zaidi

Rahat Zaidi

Affiliations

Full Professor

Werklund School of Education, Specialization, Language and Literacy

Werklund Research Professor

Werklund School of Education, Specialization, Language and Literacy

Literacy Research association Vice President & Conference Chair 2027

~ Other ~

Contact information

Email

rahat.zaidi@ucalgary.ca

Web presence

Website

Phone number

Office: 403.220.2047

Location

Office: EDT1006

For media enquiries, contact

Clayton MacGillivray
Content and Media Specialist

Email: clmacgil@ucalgary.ca
Twitter: @UCalgaryEduc

Background

Educational Background

Doctor of Philosophy Other Education, University of Sorbonne, 2000

M.Phil. Other Education, University of Sorbonne, 1996

M.A. Other Education, University of Sorbonne, 1995

Biography

 

I am a Werklund Research Professor and Director of the Transliteracies Research Lab at the University of Calgary, with more than 20 years of leadership in multilingual literacy, second-language education, teacher education, and equity-oriented educational research. As a Sorbonne-trained multilingual scholar working across Anglophone and Francophone contexts, I examine how language, literacy, culture, identity, migration, and emerging technologies shape educational participation, opportunity, and belonging.

My scholarship is distinguished by participatory, arts-based, multimodal, digital, and community-engaged methodologies that position learners, families, educators, and community partners as co-researchers and knowledge creators. I conceptualized Critically Engaged Language and Literacy Workshops (CELLWs) as a participatory, multimodal framework for research, teaching, professional learning, and community engagement, and I continue to lead their development, implementation, and expansion across schools, school districts, universities, and community contexts. I translate research into inclusive pedagogical practices, professional learning, community resources, films, exhibitions, and policy-relevant recommendations.

My internationally engaged research program advances socially just and culturally responsive approaches to education while supporting newcomer, immigrant, refugee, multilingual, and racially minoritized learners and communities. I currently serve as Vice President of the Literacy Research Association and Conference Chair for its 2027 Annual Conference. I previously held the Mobility Research Chair in Bilingualism at the University of Ottawa’s Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute. 

Learn more about our work at https://transliteracieslab.com.

 

Research

Areas of Research

Scholarly Activity

Research Leadership & Community Impact: As Director of the Transliteracies Lab, I lead a collaborative team of postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and research staff working across Canada and internationally. Since 2023, the Lab has developed innovative research in multilingualism, transliteracies, arts-based research, digital and immersive learning, and the role of artificial intelligence in language and literacy education. Through long-standing partnerships with JBS Canada, Grasslands Public Schools, the Calgary Board of Education, Medicine Hat Public School Division, Centre for Newcomers and community organizations across Calgary and rural Alberta, including Brooks and Medicine Hat, our work co-creates educational initiatives that extend research beyond the university and into schools and communities.

 

Research Excellence & Funding: A nationally recognized researcher with more than $1.6 million in competitive research funding from organizations including the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), Alberta Education, and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (UKRI). I have led more than 14 interdisciplinary research projects focused on multilingual education, transliteracies, newcomer inclusion, equitable language and literacy practices, and innovative educational technologies.

 

Partnerships & International Engagement: I have established extensive collaborations with educational institutions, community organizations, and professional associations across Canada and internationally. Partnerships include JBS Canada, Grasslands Public Schools, the Calgary Board of Education, Medicine Hat Public School Division, the Rotary Club, Griffith University (Australia), the Federal University of Paraná (Brazil), the University of Hamburg (Germany), the University of Kassel (Germany), and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain). My work also contributes to international scholarly communities through leadership and service with organizations such as the Literacy Research Association, fostering collaborations across Canada, the United States, Brazil, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, and rural prairie communities.

 

Knowledge Mobilization & Public Engagement: I am committed to making research accessible beyond academia by sharing knowledge through high-impact journals, keynote presentations, international conferences, documentaries, virtual reality exhibitions, multilingual art galleries, community-engaged programming, and public media including CTV, CBC, Radio Canada and OMNI Television. My research demonstrates how innovative, participatory approaches can strengthen language, literacy, and belonging across diverse communities.

 

Previously, I served as the Mobility Research Chair in Bilingualism (2024–2025) at the University of Ottawa's Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute, where I expanded the development of  Critically Engaged Language and Literacy Workshops (CELLWs) to advance multilingual education and community-engaged scholarship.

My contributions have been recognized through awards including the City of Calgary Community Achievement Award in Education, the AERA Innovations in Research on Equity & Social Justice Award, and a historic nomination as Vice President of the Literacy Research Association, becoming the first Canadian visible minority scholar nominated for this leadership role in the organization's 73-year history.

 

I am deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of scholars, supervising postdoctoral fellows and graduate students while fostering collaborative, interdisciplinary research that creates meaningful impact in schools, communities, and educational policy.

 

Interests:
  • Bilingual/second language education
  • Language and culture
  • Second language teaching and learning
  • Multilingual literacy interventions
  • Peace education
  • Intercultural communication

Participation in university strategic initiatives

Human Dynamics in a Changing World (2015-2021)

Transdisciplinary Research

Cities and Societies

Courses

Course number Course title Semester
EDER 768.07 Theory and Research in Language and Diversity, New Literacies & Digital Media. Summer 2026
EDUC 535.02 Elementary English Language Learners and Elementary/Secondary Second Languages Summer 2026
EDER 711 Advanced Research Methodologies 1 Fall 2025
EDUC 435 Literacy, Language and Culture Fall 2025
EDER 669 Language Teaching Methods Fall 2025
EDER 768.07 Multiliteracies Summer 2021
EDER 669.26 English as an Additional Language Learning Summer 2021
EDER 715.05 Language and Literacy Theories and Issues Winter 2021

Projects

Current:

2025-2030             JBS Canada. Project: Building Inclusive English Language Learning Pathways in Brooks and the County of Newell. Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Grasslands Public Schools. Amount Received: CAD$250,000 over 5 years.

2026-2027             Transdisciplinary Consolidating Grant. Project: Territories of Language and Belonging: A Transdisciplinary Perspective on Language and Space. PI: Rahat Zaidi. Team Members: Fabielle Cruz, Valeria Rohrich Ferreira, Denise Hibarino, Iara Bruz, Karina Reinlein, Danielle Saheb. Amount Received: CAD$18,000.

2022-2027             Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council Insight Grant. Project: Connecting Resilience to Places & Spaces in Adopted Homelands. PI: Rahat Zaidi. Co-I: Kim Lenters, Erin Spring, Subrata Bhowmik. Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. Amount Received: CAD$214,000.

2026                     FCSS Grasslands Regional Family and Community Support Services. PI: Rahat Zaidi. Amount Received: CAD$60,000.

2023                     Transdisciplinary Scholarship Connector Grant. Project: Immigration as a movement of resistance: Innovative educational research and its intersection with politics, language and teacher education. PI: Rahat Zaidi, Co-I: Moura, G. H. da C., Costa, K., Duque, T., Paniago, M. C. University of Calgary. Amount Received: CAD $7,815.75.

2021-2023             Alberta Education Partner Research. Project: Lessons from Covid-19: Empowering Vulnerable Newcomer Youth. PI: Rahat Zaidi. Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. Amount Received: CAD$50,000.

2020-2022             Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council Partner Engage Grant. Project: Immigrant Families at a Standstill, Navigating Resettlement During Covid-19. PI: Rahat Zaidi. Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. Amount Received: CAD$25,000.

2020-2021             Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council Connection Grant. Project: Shifting Linguistic Landscapes: A New Terrain for Multilingual & Transcultural Pedagogies. PI: Rahat Zaidi. Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. Amount Received: CAD$20,000.

2019-2020             Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council Partner Engage Grant. Project: Filming Cultural Mosaics: A Research Study on Filming Immigrant Family Stories. PI: Rahat Zaidi. Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. Amount Received: CAD$25,000.

2018-2020             Alberta Education Partner Research. Project: Optimizing Parent-Teacher Collaboration in Refugee Children's Learning. PI: Rahat Zaidi. Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. Amount Received: CAD$50,000.

Awards

  • International Visitor Leadership Award, State Department, Washington DC.. 2009
  • City of Calgary Education Award, City of Calgary. 2021
  • Alberta Teachers Association Education Research Award for 2020, Alberta Teachers Association. 2020
  • American Education Researchers Association (AERA) Division K Innovations in Research on Equity and Social Justice in Teaching and Teacher Education Award (2021), American Education Researchers Association (AERA) Division K. 2021
  • The Werklund School of Education Distinguished Research Lecture Award for 2021., Werklund School of Education. 2021
  • Werklund Research Excellence Award, University of Calgary for 2020, Werklund School of Education. 2020
  • Mobility Research Chair in Bilingualism, Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute, University of Ottawa., University of Ottawa. 2024
  • Invited expert participant, UNESCO informal consultative working group on Addressing anti-Muslim racism through education. Addressing Racism through Education project, UNESCO & European Commission., UNESCO. 2026
  • 2021

Publications

Google Scholar

In the News