Admira is a PhD student in Political Studies at Queen’s University. Her research concentrates broadly on international relations, international political economy, international state building, and migration, in particular, as these topics relate to southeastern Europe and the Middle East and North Africa regions. Her doctoral dissertation examines European border enforcement capacity building in the Bosnian/Croatian and Libyan/Italian border regions. She is explicitly exploring the role of corporate interest in shaping European border security objectives over the last three decades.
Fatmanur is a PhD student at the Balsillie School of International Affairs at Wilfrid Laurier University. Her academic endeavours predominantly revolve around the critical examination of border policies, the intricacies of refugee solidarity networks, and the multifaceted dynamics of gender. Within the academic sphere, Fatmanur holds the role of a PhD Support Officer within the Migration, Mobilities, and Social Politics cluster at the Balsillie School of International Affairs.
Hana is a student at Queen’s University currently completing a Master’s of Science in Rehabilitation Science. She is conducting this study under the supervision of Dr. Setareh Ghahari and Co-Investigators Dr. Jennifer Matsunaga and Dr. Pilar Camago-Plazas. She is a second-generation Japanese-Tamil Canadian. Hana’s biracial background and second-generation immigrant status have influenced her to pursue research in topics related to diversity and inclusion, especially when navigating Canada's health and social system. Her previous work was focused on topics of gerontology as well. For example, in the past, Hana has looked at older adults’ experiences with virtual care through the pandemic and the life experiences of older adult immigrants contributing to their needs in health and social care.
Kate Motluk is a PhD student at the Balsillie School of International Affairs. Her research is focused on issues of forced migration, with a particular interest in the intersections of migration and criminalization.
Kate completed her undergraduate degree in Peace, Conflict, and Justice Studies at the University of Toronto. Upon graduation, she worked as the Toronto Chapter Lead for the Refugee Hub’s pro-bono legal program and as a Project Coordinator for the Toronto based non-profit Lifeline Syria. While serving with these organizations, Kate has assisted with the file management and submission of over 400 private sponsorship refugee applications to the Canadian government. She pursued her MA in Geography at Wilfrid Laurier University. Her thesis, Containment & COVID-19 in the Settler State, examined the responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in carceral spaces across Canada and Australia.
Maral, a Ph.D. candidate at the Balsillie School of International Affairs and the Digital Policy Hub research fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, brings a multidisciplinary expertise in political science, human rights, international law, and global governance. Her doctoral research is centered on the global governance of artificial intelligence, delving into AI's societal impacts. Embracing transdisciplinary research, she aims to seamlessly integrate AI with governance studies, focusing on understanding and developing the governance framework through the lens of multilateral cooperation.
Lilian Estafanous is a senior Ph.D. candidate and a Teacher Fellow at Queen’s University in Canada. Her doctoral research focuses on diaspora and migration studies, the political mobilization of ethnic and religious minorities, and social movement studies. Lilian’s current research seeks to explain the political mobilization of the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Community in Canada and the United States. She is a recipient of several academic fellowships and awards, including the Queen’s Graduate Award (QGA), Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS), Graduate Dean's Doctoral Field Travel Grant, Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA) Research Grant, R.S. McLaughlin Fellowship, Robert Sutherland Fellowship, and Senator Frank Carrel Fellowship. Lilian is currently a teaching fellow with the Department of Political Studies at Queen’s University where she teaches Diaspora and Transnationalism, Ethnic Conflicts, Political Theory, Gender and Politics, and Politics and Government.
Md Rakib Jahan is a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the Queen’s University. He is completing his Master’s Degree in the Religious Studies Program there. He Holds a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in World Religions and Cultures from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Md Rakib Jahan previously presented two papers at international conferences in India and Bangladesh. He specializes in religion and politics area and is dedicated to advancing security strategies through various approaches. Apart from his academic endeavors, he is actively involved in various social activities. He has been honored with the prestigious President Scout Award by the President Bangladesh, in addition to achieving the esteemed Duke of Edinburgh Awards from the British High Commission in Bangladesh.
Naimul Karim is a second year PhD student at the Cultural Studies Department of Queen's University. He is currently focussed on studying the use of art in refugee settings. Prior to joining the university, Karim worked as a journalist for more than a decade covering issues related to marginalized groups in south Asia such as refugees, workers in the fashion industry and the ship-breaking sector and sex workers for various publications. He completed his M.A. in Journalism from Cardiff University with a special focus on the role of protest music in South Asia.
Neil is a is a PhD candidate at Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University, he is also involved with the International Migration Research Centre (IMRC) at the Balsillie School of International Affairs. His PhD research focuses on Indian international student migration to Canada focusing on gendered and transnational spatial dimensions. He has also worked as a Research Assistant on the project on International student resilience and currently working as a Research Assistant for Immigration Partnership of Waterloo region. His recent publications include a co-authored chapter for the ‘Handbook of Migration and Family’, Edward Elgar Publishing (edited by Waters and Yeoh), a research method case study for SAGE Research Methods Diversifying and Decolonizing Research Cases due to be published, a book review in The Canadian Geographer / Le Géographe Canadien and a co-authored paper for the International Migration Journal.
Nicole is a settler on Turtle Island and has been living on the traditional territories of the Attawandaron, Anishnaabeg, and Haudenosaunee Peoples for the last decade. She is a PhD candidate at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, University of Waterloo, specializing in Global Justice and Human Rights. Nicole’s master’s research focused on Indigenous Peoples right to free, prior, and informed consent in relation to any development or extraction that would take place on their lands. The impacts of development on Indigenous Peoples lands are complex and affect economic, social, mental, and physical health.
Since 2016, Nicole has been engaged in community-led capacity building, primarily working with Indigenous communities across Canada on various health and wellness initiatives. She has worked in numerous capacities supporting the research direction of Indigenous partners. Nicole is continuing her PhD research focusing on Indigenous Peoples inherent right to self-government.
Nilima Rai is a Ph.D. student at the Department of Gender Studies, at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario. Her doctoral research examines the lived realities of Nepali brides in South Korean society. She holds a Master’s degree in Development Studies: Gender, Human Rights and Conflict from Social Justice Perspectives from the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) of Erasmus University, the Netherlands. She also completed a Master’s in Conflict, Peace, and Development Studies from Tribhuvan University Nepal and the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka. Her areas of interest are within the issues of migration and mobility, marriage migration, labor migration, social justice, women’s rights, inclusion, etc. Similarly, with her prior academic and research experiences she is also interested in working on the cross-cutting issues of conflict, disaster, and gender.
Qazi is a PhD student at the Department of English, Queen’s University. Her areas of interest are postcolonial studies, South Asian literature, migration, citizenship, diaspora studies, surveillance, and air travel. She completed her Master of Arts in English from McMaster University, Canada and Bachelor of Arts from North South University, Bangladesh. She has worked as a Lecturer at the Department of English and Humanities, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh. Her work has been featured in the Surveillance & Society blog Blink, Himal Southasian magazine, Six Seasons Review, The Daily Star and Dhaka Tribune.
Simran is a first year PhD student from Delhi at the Global Development Studies Department at Queen’s University. She completed her Undergraduate degree in Political Science from University of Delhi and Master’s degree in International Studies from SOAS. While she does not have an academic background in Political Ecology and Critical Development Studies, she engaged with the professional side of these subjects during her time working at a water-rights NGO and a development consultancy firm in Delhi. Thereafter, she became academically interested in reading and learning about water as a critical resource and the political dynamics surrounding water.
Zahra is currently pursuing a Master of Arts degree in the field of Global Development Studies at Queen’s University. In 2022, she completed her bachelor’s degree in Global Development Studies with a minor in Gender Studies from Queen’s University. Through her research, Zahra examines how a language barrier impacts Afghan refugee women’s experiences with the healthcare system in the Greater Toronto Area. As the first-generation daughter of immigrants from Afghanistan, Zahra is familiar with the challenges refugees and immigrants face when accessing healthcare services in Canada. Zahra is an active member of the Afghan community and has been dedicated to supporting refugees and immigrants by organizing clothing and food drives, and volunteering at organizations that provide support services to Afghan immigrants and refugees. More recently, Zahra volunteered at Afghan Women’s Organization, a leading organization in Ontario that provides settlement services to refugees and immigrants, where she was later hired.