About the Innovator

Dr. Myriam Denov is a Full Professor at McGill University and holds the Canada Research Chair in Children, Families and Armed Conflict (Tier 1). Dr. Denov is an internationally renowned expert in human rights, with a focus on children affected by war. Her work addresses the ethics of how scholars engage with marginalized children, implementing innovative, responsible, and ethical participatory methodologies, radically expanding youth empowerment in research. For over two decades and on three continents, she has made visible the human rights violations of children in war, shattered outdated perceptions of the effects of war on children and pushed the frontiers of research on sexual violence, trauma, and mental health. She has been a leading and influential voice to ensure that practitioners, governments, and the United Nations better understand, respond to, and prevent children in war. The social innovations she has developed and implemented have substantially enhanced the well-being of the children, families and communities with whom she works. Since completing her PhD at the University of Cambridge, she has (co)authored 14 books and 200 peer-reviewed articles, chapters and reports on children in war. In 2023, she was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. In 2024, she won the Prix du Québec, the highest distinction awarded by the Québec government in the field of science. She was awarded the 2025 SSHRC Gold Medal, which recognizes exceptional sustained leadership, dedication, and originality of thought, for highlighting hidden wartime experiences and promoting action and change