Dr. Sylvia Moore is Interim Dean and Founding Faculty of the School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies (SASS) at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Dr. Moore has been a leader in shaping educational programs that prioritize Indigenous knowledge, self-determination, and cultural revitalization. She is also the Vice-Lead of UArctic’s Verdde Thematic Network, a platform that fosters collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars to advance northern education.

With over 34 years of experience in Indigenous-led, Dr. Moore’s work is deeply rooted in the expressed needs of Indigenous communities and governments across Labrador and the Arctic. She has played an instrumental role in developing place-based and Northern-focused programming at SASS, including the Master’s and PhD in Arctic and Subarctic Futures, and the Bachelor of Arctic and Subarctic Interdisciplinary Studies. These programs aim to cultivate leadership and scholarship that contribute to social, cultural, and economic development in the Circumpolar North. When asked about her new position at UArctic Sylvia said "I am honoured to have been selected to hold the inaugural UArctic Chair in Indigenous and Northern Education. I look forward to the guidance of Elders, scholars, and educators in this collaborative work, which aims to strengthen the circumpolar educational networks and highlight the importance of centering languages, cultures, and Land in teaching and learning.”

Dr. Moore’s impact extends beyond teaching, as she has supervised and mentored numerous Indigenous PhD and Master’s students engaged in research on decolonizing and Indigenizing education. Her contributions also include co-developing the Inuit Bachelor of Education in partnership with the Nunatsiavut Government and leading Memorial University’s first Indigenous graduate education courses.

As Principal Investigator of the first Verdde Thematic Network research project (2022-2024), Dr. Moore has united researchers from multiple universities and Inuit governance to strengthen professional learning for Indigenous educators. Additionally, she has played a vital role in Canada’s National Centre for Collaboration in Indigenous Education (NCCIE), ensuring Labrador Innu and Inuit representation in the country’s largest archive of Indigenous-led teaching and learning resources.

You can find more information on the UArctic Chairs here.