Professor Helen Hambly (Odame) joined the University of Guelph in 2003. She is a faculty member in the MSc program in Capacity Development and Extension. She also teaches in the PhD program in Rural Studies.

At the University of Guelph, Helen has taught several courses at the undergraduate and graduate level. Her courses emphasize experiential learning to develop analytical and critical thinking skills and reflective practice. Helen often connects her students to networks and contacts in the ‘real world’. Students, for example, might develop academic multimedia communication and capacity building projects. Typically these projects involve meeting or working with organizations in Canada or abroad. In 2021, Helen launched the CDE MSc program’s first accredited summer internship course.

As a researcher and governance expert, Helen has 25+ years of experience in international agricultural research for development including senior positions in management and capacity development. She spent eight years as a Training/Research Officer with One CGIAR (the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) before joining the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development at the University of Guelph. She previously worked with the International Development Research Centre.

“I am proud to be a part of an academic community that leads in action-oriented research and innovation at the local, national and global levels.”  – Prof. Helen Hambly

Professor Hambly leads the Regional and Rural Broadband project, Canada’s largest research project on rural broadband and farm Internet access and transport infrastructure. The R2B2 team study fixed and mobile wireless and wireline technologies needed in rural areas, including fibre optics and satellite. The R2B2 team participates in research and policy analysis to enhance the availability and use of ultra-high speed Internet across Canada, and specifically, in Ontario.

Rural communication issues are evident around the world. Helen played an important role from the 1990s onwards to appreciate the significance of rural and community radio in Canada and developing countries, particularly in Africa. She coined the term Radio+ which is the convergence of FM radio with the Internet using mobile devices to source information and communicate through participatory learning and action. Radio+ enables individual or groups of listeners to contact radio stations to connect with experts to answer questions related to rural and agri-food businesses. She is also involved in efforts to enhance the availability and use of ultra-high speed Internet in rural southern Ontario.

Helen is a founding member of the Gender, Agriculture and Rural Development in the Information Society (GenARDIS). Her governance expertise has been of help to various international organizations. She is the past vice-president of Journalists for Human Rights, Farm Radio International and currently, Helen serves as vice-chair of the Board of the International Potato Center, an international agricultural research center in the One CGIAR. She is the past chair of the Roots, Tubers and Bananas. Helen participates in many academic and practitioner networks for rural communication including the Consortium for Communication for Social Change University Network and Glocal Classroom initiative.