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Nathan Sears

May 23, 1987 - March 16, 2023

The administrator of this page is Emma Lecavalier

Nathan was a kind, passionate, and intellectually courageous person who tragically lost his life in a fire in Montreal on March 16, 2023. Nathan was deeply committed to making the world a better and safer place and he left an indelible mark on everyone who knew him. The political science community at the University of Toronto have created this book of condolence as a place to share memories and stories about Nathan or as a way to pass along condolences to his partner and family. As well, the family has made a special request that pictures or videos of Nathan presenting his academic or policy work be shared. UPDATE: A GoFundMe has been set up to benefit Nathan's wife, Araceli. If you would like to donate, please do so here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/nathan-alexander-sears

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  • 2023-04-03 15:01:57 View / Comment (0)
    Valérie Kindarji

    Valérie Kindarji

    Valérie Kindarji

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    Nathan played an important role for me when I moved to Toronto. He was assigned as my 'buddy' when I was admitted to the program. Moving to a new, big city was daunting. Needing some guidance regarding the city itself and the PhD program (What are some good neighbourhoods? How the heck do we live on this stipend?) I reached out to him with a bunch of questions and he was SO kind, so helpful, and went above and beyond to give me the information to help me navigate this new life on which I was embarking. The 'buddy' program relies on volunteers; already the fact that Nathan had volunteered to help in the first place speaks volumes about his character. And then to give such genuine help too... what a beautiful person.

  • 2023-04-01 00:39:49 View / Comment (0)
    Charlie Bain

    Charlie Bain

    Charlie Bain

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    I didn't know Nathan well, though in the few conversations we did have he came across as a lovely guy. However, I vividly remember a moment that happened at ISA (the IR conference) 2019 in Toronto. I attended a panel which Alexander Wendt was one of the participants in, just so I could hear this mythical IR figure whose work I'd been reading talk. At the end of the panel I suddenly noticed that Nathan was there too. No sooner had I seen him than he started making a beeline straight for Wendt. I just wanted to hear him speak but Nathan actually had the confidence to talk to the guy!? I watched them with a little bit of jealousy but mainly admiration. That moment really defined how I saw Nathan - as a person with a clear sense of what he wanted and with the courage to pursue it fully. I wish I had known him better. I think it's only a special person who can make an impact on you in such a short space of time.

  • 2023-03-31 20:57:41 View / Comment (0)
    Victor Bruzzone

    Victor Bruzzone

    Victor Bruzzone

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    I met Nathan in my first year PhD theory core course. There were only 3 of us in the class that year, so we got to know each other pretty well. I was very impressed by Nathan's enthusiasm for theory, especially since it was not his main subfield (I should also say, he did better than me on the field exam, even though I'm the theorist!). We always had good conversations before and after class. I can remember him telling me about how he wanted his dissertation to focus on the risks of global catastrophes - it sounded so exciting to me. He also once described himself as an OG+ realist in IR, which amused me (I'm not sure if that was still how he described himself more recently). Nathan was one of those people I wish I had cultivated more of a friendship with, but it never quite happened. I was looking over our fb messages, and it made me a bit sad to see how many times we tried to connect (he invited me to play poker a few times, I invited him to come out for drinks with friends) but we never quite aligned. Either way, I'm thankful to have known him at all, he was an awesome guy.

  • 2023-03-31 19:21:42 View / Comment (0)
    Anika G

    Anika G

    Anika G

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    Nathan was a kind colleague with genuine integrity. Not only was he passionate about his own work, but he also shared that passionate and attentive ear when learning about and discussing the work of his colleagues. I recall my presentation in our Ph.D. proposal course, where Nathan offered feedback. Although he was critical, he was able to put a positive spin on how his critique could actually be a strength of my research. That’s the type of colleague Nathan was, someone who balanced being constructive with kindness and a positive attitude, who envisioned a better world. I send my sincere condolences to his partner and his family.

  • 2023-03-31 18:03:06 View / Comment (0)
    Janice Stein

    Janice Stein

    Janice Stein

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    Nathan Sears was a committed and passionate scholar who cared deeply about managing the most serious kinds of risks that humanity faces. He devoted all his time and energy to understanding these risks and thinking hard about how we as a species could do better in mitigating these risks. His death is a tragedy, not only because a young and promising life was so abruptly cut off, but also because Nathan would have made all of us work harder to make the world a better place. It was it a privilege to know him.

  • 2023-03-31 17:36:18 View / Comment (0)
    Jae Hyun Park

    Jae Hyun Park

    Jae Hyun Park

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    I met Nathan when I was first starting my PhD programme at the University of Toronto. We took the mandatory quantitative analysis course together. We worked through weekly assignments in a part of a lovely evening study group that celebrated every breakthrough, and commiserated every roadblocks on R. He spoke about his research and his ongoing enthusiasm for education with all the passion in the world. He was among the many brilliant, inspiring friends in the department that really set the bar on what I should aspire to be. Rest in peace Nathan; really looking forward to chat about your work the next time we meet!

  • 2023-03-31 17:15:57 View / Comment (0)
    reut marciano

    reut marciano

    reut marciano

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    Nathan was my peer in our PhD program in the University of Toronto. His passion for research, for theory, was contagious. He spoke about his work as if it is was the most interesting thing in the world, and listening to him you would have to feel the same. He was so inspiring. Despite being obviously brilliant, he was also humble, and always ready to challenge his work and learn more. He was also kind and friendly - the peer I was always happy to run into in the hall or have a quick chat with before class. Rest in peace, dear Nathan.

  • 2023-03-31 03:38:03 View / Comment (0)
    Emma Lecavalier

    Emma Lecavalier

    Emma Lecavalier

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    Nathan was a wonderful peer, a soft, kind, and concerned friend, and a world-class dog dad. I feel lucky to have learned by his side (and more often from him) over the years. He was incredibly passionate and committed to his research and I often teased him about being an international relations "superfan" (usually when he was gearing up to give me another lecture on Morgenthau). But what was remarkable about Nathan was how he linked his passion for grand IR theory to his sincere commitment to improving the world and making it a better and safer place. Behind his bright smile and easy laugh, he was deeply concerned about the greatest and most pressing global challenges like climate change, nuclear war, and global pandemics. In his research (of which there is a considerable body given his all-too-short academic career) he faced these questions head on: he was truly fearless in this way. Nathan, rest in peace. You will be missed by many.

    • Anika G 2023-03-31 19:21:42 wrote:

    Nathan was a kind colleague with genuine integrity. Not only was he passionate about his own work, but he also shared that passionate and attentive ear when learning about and discussing the work of his colleagues. I recall my presentation in our Ph.D. proposal course, where Nathan offered feedback. Although he was critical, he was able to put a positive spin on how his critique could actually be a strength of my research. That’s the type of colleague Nathan was, someone who balanced being constructive with kindness and a positive attitude, who envisioned a better world. I send my sincere condolences to his partner and his family.

    Anika G 2023-03-31 19:21:42 wrote: Nathan was a kind colleague with genuine integrity. Not only was he passionate about his own work, but he also shared that passionate and attentive ear when learning about and discussing the work of his colleagues. I recall my presentation in our Ph.D. proposal course, where Nathan offered feedback. Although he was critical, he was able to put a positive spin on how his critique could actually be a strength of my research. That’s the type of colleague Nathan was, someone who balanced being constructive with kindness and a positive attitude, who envisioned a better world. I send my sincere condolences to his partner and his family.

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