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Scholarly Positions and Honours

Professor Simpson is the Past Vice-Chair of Pugwash Canada http://www.pugwashgroup.ca which is the largest and most active national affiliate of the Pugwash International Conferences on Science and Global Affairs. For more than forty years, Pugwash has been working for the control, reduction, and eventual elimination of nuclear weapons. It was in recognition of these efforts that Pugwash, together with its President, Sir Joseph Rotblat, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1995. Professor Simpson was elected as Vice-Chair of Pugwash Canada in July 2007 for a two-year term, and then re-elected as Vice-Chair in July 2009 for a two-year term that ends in July 2011. Previously Erika was the elected Treasurer of this wealthy charitable foundation for two 2-year terms from September 2003-July 2007. Erika was first elected as a Canadian Pugwash Board Member in 2001 and currently also serves as a Board Member of the Canadian Pugwash Group.

Professor Simpson is available to speak about Pugwash and the Canadian Student Young Pugwash Group (CSYP) to any groups or organizations in the southwestern Ontario region.

Professor Simpson has been an occasional lecturer and plenary participant in the Command and Staff course at the Canadian Forces College in Toronto since October 2005. Her powerpoint lecture to the officers at the Canadian Forces College in January 2010 is available for viewing and commentary at ***
Professor Simpson has been a “Fellow” at many different institutions. Erika was a Robert J. Lifton Fellow at the Center on Violence and Human Survival at City University New York (CUNY) in NYC between June 2001-December 2002. Erika was a Visiting Fellow at the Liu Institute for the Study of Global Issues at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver between 2000-2002. Formerly Erika was an Alton Jones Fellow in New York City; a Canadian Institute for International Peace and Security Senior Barton Fellow; a Canadian Department of National Defence Security and Defence Forum scholar; and a NATO Fellow. Erika welcomes future opportunities to be a visiting scholar or fellow at other internationally based institutions.

Scholarly and Professional Activities continued…

Professor Simpson has held a number of executive positions in professional associations including:
Pugwash Canada

  1. Erika currently serves as its elected Vice-Chair (2007-2009; 2009-present)
  2. Erika was the elected Treasurer, Pugwash Canada, 2003-2007
  3. Erika was on the 4-person Steering Committee that organized a large-scale international conference in Ottawa on nuclear weapons issues in January 2009 that featured many government spokespersons and defence experts from all over North America and Europe For the final program and reports, see the Pugwash website.
  4. Erika was a member of the 6-person Steering Group that organized two international conferences on Nuclear Proliferation, and Afghanistan, in Canada’s capital, Ottawa that were co-sponsored by Pugwash Canada, the Canadian Coalition Against Nuclear Weapons, the Global Security Institute and the Middle Powers Initiative, October 15-18th, 2008.
  5. Erika also served on the 6-person Steering Group that helped prepare a large international roundtable that was sponsored by International Pugwash and the Middle Powers Initiative. This conference was held at Thinker’s Lodge in Pugwash, July 5-8, 2007 The Pugwash Newsletter of July 2007 can be viewed at the Pugwash website.
  6. Erika was also a member of the 7-person Steering Group that prepared an international Roundtable in Ottawa, February 21-23, 2005
  1. Erika was the Program Advisor and Member of the 4-person Organizing Committee that prepared another international Roundtable in Ottawa, February 26-27, 2004
  2. Erika was a member of the 5-person Organizing Committee that prepared an international Pugwash conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia, July 15-22, 2003. As a Steering Committee member and chair of one session, Erika organized 35 scholars and scientists from all over the world to discuss preparations for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference at the UN in May 2005. The roundtable on “Bridging the Divide: Addressing Key Challenges to the NPT,” took place in Ottawa, February 21-23, 2005.
  3. Erika was a Steering Committee member and program advisor when 25 scholars and scientists were brought in from all over the world to discuss preparations for the April 2004 NPT Prep Committee meeting and the 2005 Non Proliferation Treaty. The roundtable took place in Ottawa, February 26-27, 2004.
  4. Erika was a Steering Committee member when 176 participants originating in 39 countries were brought together in a global conference to consider, “Advancing Human Security: The Role of Technology and Politics”. Many eminent speakers addressed the conference including the Undersecretary-General of the UN and Nobel Laureate Sir Joseph Rotblat. There were dozens of workshops and plenary sessions over five days, July 14-22, 2003 in Halifax, N.S.

Erika was a member of the Middle Powers Initiative (MPI) Report Committee and as a rapporteur helped write a report for Atlanta Consultation II on the Future of the NPT. This event was held at the Carter Center, Atlanta, Georgia, January 26-28, 2005. The report was sent on behalf of former President Jimmy Carter, the MPI, and the Global Security Institute to every Foreign Ministry in the world, as well as hundreds of NGOs, in preparation for the 2005 NPT Review Conference.
Erika has been a Senior Advisor to the newly-establiErikad Rideau Institute http://www.rideauinstitute.ca/ since 2006. Erika was also the Co-director and Co-Founder (with Rideau Institute President Steve Staples) of The Canadian Forum for Global Security, which is no longer in existence.
The Canadian Centre for Foreign Policy Development was dissolved by the Department of Foreign Affairs but Erika was the official representative for London between 1997-2003.
For many years, Erika was deeply involved with the Canadian Institute for International Affairs (CIIA) serving as a student representative and organizer at the University of Toronto and ending her involvement with the dissolved organization after being the Chair and Branch Representative for the London/Windsor Branch, 1998-2003.

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