Dr. Kate Tilleczek is an internationally recognized scholar in youth studies and
education, holding the prestigious Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Youth, Education
& Global Good at York University. As the Founder and Director of the Young Lives
Research Lab (YLRL), she leads pioneering research alongside young people and their
chosen communities to advance our understandings of youth wellbeing in the 21st
century, focusing on the transformative and intersecting impacts of digital
technologies and climate change. Through a transdisciplinary, collaborative approach that includes youth, communities, educators, highly qualified personnel, local and international organizations and policymakers, Dr. Tilleczek has co-developed research and education programs that serve and support young people across Canada and the Americas.

Dr. Tilleczek’s research examines the complex forces affecting youth today, including the adoption of digital technologies as primary tools for social engagement and the intensifying effects of climate change, especially on vulnerable youth populations. Her body of work includes over 134 research articles, book chapters, and reports, 6 monographs and edited books, and 148 presentations delivered worldwide. Her publication and outreach record, with 1,610+ Google Scholar citations, underscores her scholarly impact and her commitment to mobilizing research for social change. Over her career, she has been awarded over $15.8 million in research funding as a principal investigator and contributed to grants totalling $23 million as a co-applicant, illustrating the significant recognition and support for her groundbreaking work.

At YLRL, Dr. Tilleczek engages with local and global partners to build research initiatives that support youth in navigating the social, digital, and ecological landscapes that shape their lives. For example, with funding from York University’s inaugural Catalyzing Interdisciplinary Research Clusters fund she currently leads the Partnership for Youth and Planetary Wellbeing (PYPW), which spans four countries—Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, and Belize—and is dedicated to understanding how youth and their communities navigate various changes and challenges related to planetary wellbeing, while her SSHRC-funded Youth in the Digital Age (currently in Phase II ) and Heritage Canada-funded Digital Wellbeing Hub explores the impacts of AI and digital media on young lives, probing into the benefits and challenges these technologies pose and generating co-created solutions and resources to support improved digital citizenship for Canadians. Her work in these areas has positioned Canada as a global leader in evidence-based education and social policy.

Dr. Tilleczek’s dedication to equity in education has shaped significant policy and curriculum initiatives in Canada, such as the Early School Leavers Study, which informed Ontario’s youth transition policies. She has also played a leadership role with Pathways to Education Canada and served as Chair of Prince Edward Island’s Provincial Child and Youth Secretariat. Her recent projects also include the Planetary Health Film Lab, co-led by Dr. Mark Terry and the Youth Climate Report and co-developed with youth to amplify youth voices on climate justice at policy-making levels through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and United Nations annual conferences such as Conference of Youth (COY) and Conference of the Parties (COP).

Through her extensive research and mentorship via her collaborative, cross-sector approach to addressing the social, digital, and ecological challenges that shape youth wellbeing today, Dr. Tilleczek and her team have engaged over 8000 young people and supported the development of dozens of early and mid-career scholars, community fellows and highly qualified personnel, fostering interdisciplinary, transferrable skills and professional growth across the Americas. She is a Faculty Fellow at York University’s Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research, LaMarsh Centre for Child and Youth Research, the Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Institute for Technoscience and Society. Her leadership extends to prominent advisory roles, including the Advisory Boards for Digital Futures for Children Research Centre at the London School of Economics & Political Science, 5Rights Foundation, and the OPN Digital Transparency Lab (Global Digital Commons Initiative). She also serves on the International Advisory Group for the United Nations’ International Youth Conference, where she collaborates with the UN Department of Global Communications, UN-Habitat, and the UN International Organization for Migration. As the Founding Co-PI and advisor to the Code Red Alliance for Children and Youth, Dr. Tilleczek advances critical research and advocacy initiatives, addressing youth wellbeing amidst global digital, social, and climate-related crises. Her active memberships with the Planetary Health Alliance at Harvard University and the International Society of Global Health at the University of Edinburgh further cement her dedication to understanding and improving youth wellbeing in a changing world. Through these roles and her trusted advisory work with organizations such as UNICEF Canada and as Editor in Chief of Childhood & Education Studies Series (Youth Section), and roles on the Editorial Boards of high-quality journals, Adolescents, Sociological Studies of Children and Youth, and Journal of Youth Studies, Dr. Tilleczek’s impact resonates widely, establishing Canada as a global leader in youth-centered research, policy, and education reform.

Driven by a commitment to social equity, environmental sustainability, and intergenerational collaboration, Dr. Tilleczek’s work addresses the intricate intersections of youth wellbeing, digital engagement, and planetary health. She is a sought-after speaker and media contributor and continues to shape policy, research, and education on an international scale, creating transformative impacts for youth in Canada and worldwide.

Contact Dr. Kate Tilleczek: ktilleczek@yorku.ca