Ada Jaarsma

Ada Jaarsma is a Professor in the Department of Humanities at Mount Royal University, Calgary, Alberta. She holds a PhD from Purdue University, an MA from Trent University, and a BA from the University of Waterloo. Her work bridges feminist continental philosophy, science studies, and critical disability studies. She co-edits the journal Symposium: Canadian Journal of Continental Philosophy and contributes to Syndicate. Her research explores existentialism's intersections with crip/queer studies, placebo/nocebo dynamics, and Kierkegaardian thought in modern contexts. Notable publications include Kierkegaard after the Genome (2017) and Dissonant Methods (2020), both impactful in transdisciplinary scholarship.

Jaarsma's teaching innovates through arts-based pedagogy, open-access resources, and podcast-driven courses like Sonic Existentialisms. She prioritizes anti-oppressive and flexible instructional design, advocating universal design principles. Awards include an SSHRC Insight Grant (2020–2023) and a book award nomination. Her work challenges Cartesian dualisms, biomedical individualism, and neoliberal education paradigms while fostering critical thinking and inclusive practices.

• Education:
• PhD - Purdue University
• MA - Trent University
• BA - University of Waterloo

Research Focus: Her scholarship interrogates the existential stakes of science (e.g., epigenetics, placebos), critical disability studies' methodological innovations, and pedagogical resistance to systemic inequities. Collaborations with Suze Berkhout on placebo/nocebo effects and Lauren Guilmette on feminist making further her transdisciplinary approach.

Awards & Grants: SSHRC Insight Grant for Placebos Talk Back, AERA Outstanding Book Award shortlist, and Teaching Literature Book Award nomination highlight her scholarly impact. Her work appears in journals like Disability Studies Quarterly and Symposium, alongside public-facing initiatives like podcast courses and philosopher-portrait art projects.

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with interdisciplinary networks in philosophy of science, disability studies, and pedagogy. Co-edits special issues on secularism, placebo studies, and existentialism's contemporary relevance.