Faculty of Social Sciences

McMaster alumnus Arthur Fogel has been described by the Globe and Mail as “the most powerful man in music” and by Bono, the lead singer of U2, as “clearly the most important person in live music in the world.” Mr. Fogel began building that kind of reputation and influence by promoting musical acts with Toronto-based Concert Productions International (CPI). He was tour manager for Martha and the Muffins, then in 1986, took on the role of president of CPI’s concert division. In 1995, he became president of TNA (The Next Adventure) and later ran the global touring division of SFX which became Live Nation in 2005. Mr. Fogel is currently president of global touring and chairman of global music at Live Nation Entertainment.

Mr. Fogel is best known for overseeing the majority of the most successful global tours in popular music history, beginning with the Rolling Stones’ “Steel Wheels” tour in 1989. Beyond its record-breaking commercial success, “Steel Wheels” also revolutionized the way tours are booked and marketed. Since that watershed achievement, Mr. Fogel has promoted iconic tours for acts including U2, AC/DC and Madonna. He has also worked with Lady Gaga, The Police, David Bowie, Justin Timberlake, Rihanna, Bruno Mars, Tony Bennett and Canadian icons Rush and Neil Young. More recently, he promoted Beyoncé’s “Renaissance World Tour” – one of the top-ten grossing concert tours of all time – and Madonna’s “Celebration” tour that included a show that drew 1.6 million people in Rio de Janeiro. He also promoted U2’s ground-breaking residency at The Spere in Las Vegas, as well as shows by Peter Gabriel and Sting at the same venue.

The subject of the 2013 documentary Who the F**k is Arthur Fogel, Mr. Fogel is a fixture on the music industry’s Billboard Power 100, has been named the Pollstar Promoter of the Year and received the TJ Martell Entertainment Visionary Award. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame and named the Pollstar 2024 Impact 50 Honoree as well as taking the top spot on Billboard Canada’s Power Players List. He also received The Elizabeth Taylor Commitment to End AIDS Award from the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. Mr. Fogel is a member of the McMaster Alumni Gallery.

Alexis Hachey-Brown is an urban Haudenosaunee person with maternal family ties to Oneida, Wisconsin, and paternal connections to Six Nations of the Grand River. For the past two years, she has served as Co-Chair of the Cooperative of Indigenous Students, Studies, and Alumni (CISSA), where she has focused on strengthening Indigenous student community and culturally grounded spaces on campus. Through this role, she co-founded the Kindred Spirits Indigenous student drum group, helped facilitate weekly beading groups alongside Indigenous Student Services, and supported Indigenous student leadership and programming. She has also contributed to Indigenous advocacy and educational initiatives through her involvement with McMaster University Indigenous Education Council.

Alexis is currently completing an Honours BA in Indigenous Studies at McMaster University and will begin an MA in Indigenous Studies in Fall 2026 under the supervision of Dr. Jarita Greyeyes. Her research explores barriers Indigenous students face when accessing Indigenous-specific campus services and reflects her ongoing commitment to Indigenous student belonging, access, and community care.

Seth Cabezas is an Indigenous student leader, entrepreneur, and community advocate from Hamilton, Ontario. During his time at McMaster University, he dedicated himself to supporting students, mentoring youth, and strengthening community connections through athletics and Indigenous leadership.

Seth served on the Indigenous Studies Academic Council (ISAC), where he worked to enhance the student experience and support Indigenous student engagement within the university community. He was also actively involved in baseball and football initiatives throughout Hamilton, using sport as a tool to foster leadership, confidence, and personal growth among young athletes.

Beyond campus, Seth has contributed to numerous community projects focused on youth development, mentorship, and creating opportunities for others to succeed. Guided by Indigenous values of service, responsibility, and reciprocity, he has sought to make a positive impact both within and beyond the university.

Seth graduates from McMaster with a commitment to continuing his work in community leadership and youth empowerment.

Professor Brickley, former Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in the Bioarchaeology of Human Disease, is a pioneering paleopathologist who studies “diseases in dead people.” Her innovative research on metabolic bone diseases and trauma gives voice to individuals often absent from Western historical records, offering long term perspectives on conditions that remain significant global health concerns. An internationally recognized expert on past metabolic bone disease, she is the lead author of both editions of The Bioarchaeology of Metabolic Bone Disease. 

Brickley is best known for her work on vitamin D deficiency, leading the largest study of its kind, which examined more than 3,500 Roman skeletons. Her team pioneered methods to identify dental changes as markers of this condition, enabling new insight into long term trends that remain relevant today. More recently, she has led innovative work on disease co occurrence and anemia, including the first study to integrate modern hematological and paleopathological evidence to examine anemia in archaeological populations. Her research on 18th and 19th century burials has also deepened understanding of historical communities. In 2023, the City of Guelph invited her to lead investigations into individuals buried in its public burial ground. 

Over a 25 year career, Professor Brickley has demonstrated sustained global impact. She has published 86 articles, 23 book chapters, and 10 books, delivered more than 50 invited talks including five keynote addresses across three continents, and presented over 150 peer reviewed papers. Her lifetime research funding as principal investigator exceeds 5 million CAD. In addition, she has created a rich and supportive training environment for graduate and undergraduate students, supervising theses as well as student research awards and independent studies.

Dr. Poinar rigorously examines the organic traces of biological materials (e.g., DNA, RNA, and proteins) to reconstruct deep evolutionary histories with significant contemporary relevance. His analyses of molecules preserved in deep time permafrost provide insights into how ancient ecosystems responded to climatic warming, yielding knowledge useful for anticipating the anthropogenic warming and future impact on the Arctic. Methods developed by Poinar’s team for recovering pathogen genomes from skeletal remains of past pandemic victims have been adapted for rapid COVID screening in long-term care facilities, extraction of antimicrobial resistance genes from wastewater, and detection of sepsis-causing pathogens in hospitals. Moreover, his work with woolly mammoth remains captivates audiences of all ages, creating opportunities for public engagement and inspiring the next generation of Canadian researchers essential for sustaining an innovation-driven national economy.