Elyse Longair

PhD, Screen Cultures and Curatorial Studies

Elyse Longair is an artist, curator, and image theorist currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Screen Cultures and Curatorial Studies at Queen’s University. Longair’s research focuses on collage history, collage as research creation and institutional strategies of collecting and curating collage. Among recent awards, she studied collage in Paris at The Centre Pompidou thanks to the David Edney Research Award and was awarded Exposure Emerging Photographer of the Year Award by Exposure Photography Festival earning her a solo exhibition at Contemporary Calgary. Her Simple Image Theory in collage re-imagines the role of images away from the overt-complexity that dominates our world, opening up new possibilities for imagined futures.

Longair actively participates in the arts community serving as Chair, Chief Curator, for the Services to Artists Committee, College Arts Association, The Local Shorts Programmer for The Kingston Canadian Film Festival and as a member of The University Arts Association Sustainability Committee. At Queen’s, Longair is the curator for The Art and Media lab at The Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts, administers and a contributes to the graduate blog, Gradifying, offering invaluable insights into graduate life and is a Graduate Inclusivity Fellow helping to promote a culture of belonging at Queen's for graduate students.

Graziella Bedenik

PhD, Mechanical and Materials Engineering

Graziella Bedenik is a Brazilian engineer pursuing her PhD with the Mechanical and Materials Engineering department at Queen's University, Canada. She's working on automated underwater environmental monitoring using self-deployable robotic swarms with the Novel Engineering and Robotic Devices (NERD) and Robora Labs. Graziella is also a member of the Research Group on Electronic Instrumentation at the Federal University of Sergipe, Brazil, where she received an electronics engineering degree and a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering.

Her main research interest is electronic instrumentation, studying and developing innovative measuring devices and sensing systems. She has experience and prefers working with multidisciplinary teams, having participated in projects ranging from leakage current measurements in high-voltage insulators to pain quantification in animal models. She is also interested in team management, engineering education, and female inclusion in STEM. She regularly serves as a mentor and co-founded and led several initiatives dedicated to empowering students, raising belonging, and popularizing science. 

Graziella's decision to join Queen's University was driven by her quest for the best resources to advance her academic career. As part of her educational journey, she plans to share her insights and experiences through blogging. Her posts will cover a range of topics, including organization hacks for academic success, leadership and protagonism as a student, and her unique perspective as both an international student and a woman in engineering.

Özlem Atar

PhDs in Communications Sciences and Cultural Studies

Özlem is an international researcher from Türkiye. Intercultural communication and migration narratives are her most recent areas of expertise. She is an avid reader of fiction and an emerging writer. She thinks Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Emperor's New Clothes”' is to blame for her addiction to socially committed literature. In her spare time, she writes nonfiction and translates between English and Turkish. Her specific interests in Gradifying Blog centre around international education, intercultural communication, and graduate student well-being.

Bhavya Bogra

PhD in Geography & Planning

Bhavya is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in the Department of Geography and Planning. Her research focuses on understanding the local travel needs, particularly the unmet challenges faced by older adult women living in mid-sized Canadian cities. While her academic pursuits delve into the intricate layers of Human Geography and Urban Planning, Bhavya's interests extend far beyond research.

As the President of the Association of Indian Graduate Students at Queen’s University (AIGSQ), Bhavya has excelled in fostering a supportive environment for her peers. Additionally, she served as the International Student Representative and Finance Officer for the Department of Geography Graduate Student Council (GSC). Currently, she is engaged as a Graduate Inclusivity Fellow (GIF), where she actively addresses prospective students’ questions about equity, inclusivity, and diversity, while offering informational support through her personal experiences at Queen’s. Her contributions have been recognized with awards such as the Champion for Mental Health and the International Student Leader Award by the Society of Graduate & Professional Students (SGPS).

Bhavya’s role as a Neighbourhood Climate Action Champion with the City of Kingston Planning Department highlights her passion for sustainability and civic engagement. Outside of academia, Bhavya embraces self-expression and adventure through dancing, hiking, and biking. She has led a henna workshop and performed twice at the Intercultural Arts Festival organized annually by the city at the Confederation Park in fall. Her wide-ranging activities reflect her zest for life, learning, and community involvement.