Law faculty names Family Justice Research Chair

Dr. Katharina Maier has seen first-hand the impact — sometimes adverse — that the family justice system can have on people’s lives. 

With her appointment as the Faculty of Law's first Research Chair in Family Justice, she is looking forward to the chance to help transform that system into one that better promotes the well-being of both families and communities.

Maier, PhD, whose University of Calgary appointment begins on July 1, co-leads the Canadian Crime and Homelessness Study, an examination of unhoused people’s experiences, including interactions with legal and social services actors.

“In my current research on homelessness and street life, issues around family well-being — including experiences with the family law system — come up frequently in our data, and we have worked to understand the impact,” says Maier.

“Many of the people we’ve talked to no longer had custody of their children. Some reported negative experiences with Child and Family Services. Other people talked about their desire to reunify with their children, but also about the various barriers that make it difficult to regain custody.”

Currently an associate professor in the University of Winnipeg’s Criminal Justice department, Maier is originally from Germany, where she received her law degree from the University of Münster.  

Looking to expand her knowledge and education, she moved to Canada to do her master’s degree and PhD at the Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies at the University of Toronto.

Her work primarily focuses on marginalized populations’ experiences with legal and non-legal systems and, in turn, how those institutions work with individuals and communities. 

A need for system change 

As research chair, Maier will work as part of the Centre for Transformation, an innovative collaboration between the faculties of Law and Social Work funded through a significant gift from the Alberta Law Foundation.

The centre is focused on systemic change in the family justice system to put the well-being of children and families first. It is intended to put research into action to enhance outcomes for those facing challenges such as separation and divorce, intimate partner violence, and child-welfare issues.

Maier says the position is an opportunity to do “immensely meaningful” research in collaboration with government, community organizations and other scholars.

“There is an ‘evidence to practice gap,’ which means that evidence and research don’t always get translated effectively into policy and practice,” she says. 

“When I read the job posting and the idea behind the Centre for Transformation, I felt this was a really unique strategy to help close the evidence to practice gap by connecting researchers to community, policymakers and decision makers early on.”

Maier says the centre reflects the need to “break disciplinary silos” and welcomes the opportunity to work with her counterpart, Dr. Kate Maurer, PhD, who became the Research Chair in Family Justice in the Faculty of Social Work at the start of January.

Research in Alberta 

Maier is no stranger to Alberta, having done research in Edmonton as a doctoral student. Her recent research on homelessness, addiction and victimization has also brought her to Lethbridge, Calgary, Red Deer and Fort McMurray, and her team has received grants from the Alberta government for her research in these areas.

Dr. Laura Spitz, JSD, dean of the Faculty of Law, looks forward to welcoming Maier to the law school. 

“Dr. Maier brings the expertise and vision that make her the ideal choice as the Chair in Law at the Centre for Transformation,” says Spitz.

“With her in the position, the centre is poised to produce research that not only deepens our understanding of pressing social issues, but also informs practical solutions with real impact.”

Diana Lowe, KC, senior director of the Centre for Transformation, says having two distinguished academics as the research chairs is a huge asset for the centre and its work.

“We are very excited to work with them and see where their research takes us,” she says.