Olivia Chow may have lost the mayor’s seat but she’ll soon take to the professor’s podium.

Chow, a former MP and Toronto city councillor, will become a distinguished visiting professor with Ryerson University’s Faculty of Arts, focusing on community engagement and democratic participation.

"I am excited about joining a city-building university like Ryerson," Chow said in a news release put out by Ryerson.

Chow said the opportunity to work with young "urban-oriented" students is both "humbling and thrilling."

The move also means Chow will be teaching on the same campus where her late husband, Jack Layton, taught before moving into politics.

"We are thrilled to welcome Olivia Chow to the faculty that Jack Layton called home for so many years," said arts dean Jean-Paul Boudreau.

"Olivia brings impressive expertise and dynamism to youth leadership development that will inspire students to dream big and change the world. She is a passionate change-maker," Boudreau said.

Other distinguished visiting professors appointed by the university in 2015 include Jeff Melanson, the President and CEO of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and Tom Anselmi, the former President and Chief Operating Officer of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, and broadcaster Marci Ien.