People

Areas of interest: US politics, US foreign policy, Canada-US relations, Think tanks, Interest groups

Areas of interest: Comparative politics, Critical international relations, Global political economy, Globalization, International relations

Areas of interest: African diasporas, Anti-opression, Corporate social responsibility, Critical international relations, Critical pedagogy, Decolonization, Gender, Global governance, Political economy, Globalization & transnationalism, International development, International relations, Natural resources, Political economy, Postcolonial theory, Poverty, Race and racism, Social justice, Resource and environmental economics

Areas of interest: Smart Cities, Digital Governance, Accountability, Africa

Sarah’s research focuses on the scope and trajectory of the Ontario and Quebec Poverty Reduction Strategies and the role of public servants in deciding the form, shape and content of these strategies. The impetus for this research is to analyze how social welfare policies are actually formed in the nuanced, interactive nature of the policy process as it occurs in practice, rather than the idealized, systematic approach to policy design, as theorized in academic literature. Prior to joining the Political Science department in 2022, she earned her Master of Arts in Public Policy and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University in 2021 and worked as a junior analyst in the Ministry of the Attorney General for almost a year. Before that, she was a teacher in Toronto and the Middle East for over 10 years, which ignited her passion for learning.

Areas of Interest: Comparative Public Policy, Public Administration, Canadian Politics, Social Welfare Policy, Poverty Reduction Strategies

Areas of interest: International relations, Critical international relations, Global climate policy, International development, South-South co-operation, Africa

Areas of interest: Childhood studies, Critical international relations, Critical pedagogy, Critical military studies, Cultural studies, Decolonization, Gender & politics, Globalization, International relations, Political sociology, Political subjecthood, Politics of representation, Pop culture, Youth

Areas of interest: Comparative politics, Gender and ethnic relations, Gender & politics, Politics of representation, Public policy

Areas of interest: Canadian politics, Comparative politics, Patient involvement in healthcare, Public policy, Social & health policy

Areas of interest: Critical international relations, International Relations of the Global South, Decolonization, Postcolonial theory, Anticolonial thought, Transnational activism, Political theory, Revolution, Psychoanalytical political thought

Areas of interest: Canadian public policy, Child care & education, Comparative public policy, Federalism and intergovernmental relations, Indigenous politics, Institutions and indentity, Public policy, Social policy

Areas of interest: Comparative politics, Gender & politics, Globalization, Public policy, Social and health policy

Areas of Interest: Comparative Public Policy; Canadian Politics: Policy Process; Climate and Environmental Policy; Governance in Quiet Politics; Building Decarbonisation

Areas of interest: International relations, Gender & natural resource, Global political economy, Feminist political ecology, Climate change, African politics

Areas of interest: Canadian politics, Comparative politics, Public policy

Areas of interest: Communications, Globalization & transnationalism, History, temporality and time, Nationalism, Political theory, Politics and history, Politics of representation, Violence

Areas of interest: Comparative politics, Globalization, International relations

Areas of interest: Digital technology, public policy and administration, public service restructuring, public sector and government management, social media, social policy

Areas of interest: Canadian politics, Nationalism, Policy, Political economy, Political sociology, Politics of representation, Public policy, Social & health policy, Social movements, Social policy

Area of interest: Comparative Public Policy

More Information: Beyza’s research examines the politics of memory and everyday peace and reconciliation in post-conflict Northern Cyprus, focusing on the relationship between native Turkish Cypriots and naturalized citizens of the de facto state TRNC of mainland origin (Türkiyeliler). Her work explores how memory narratives shape othering formations, everyday (in)securities, and approaches to reconciliation within a de facto state marked by contested sovereignty. Drawing on political sociology, memory studies, vernacular and everyday turns in IR, and feminist methodologies, her research analyzes how historical trauma, demographic shifts, and nationalist discourses mediate belonging and exclusion in divided societies. By highlighting marginalized voices and everyday practices of coping with uncertainty, her work challenges dominant bi-communal frameworks in the Cyprus conflict and contributes to broader debates on memory, identity, and postcolonial conflict resolution.

Beyond academia, Beyza has experience in community-based research on memory, reconciliation, and social inclusion. At McMaster, she is also committed to critical pedagogy and curriculum development through the Diversifying the Discipline: Building EDID Principles into Political Science project. She has presented her work at leading international conferences, including ISA, CPSA, and NPSA, with forthcoming book chapters from Brill and Palgrave. Her teaching excellence was recognized with a McMaster Student Union TA Merit Award nomination, and her scholarship has been supported by multiple travel grants and the CPSA Congress Graduate Merit Award  (CGMA 2025).

Areas of Interest: Critical International Relations, Political Sociology, Sovereignty & Subjectivity & Everyday (In)Securities, Peace and Conflict Resolution, Historiography & Politics of Memory, Places of Memory, Temporality & Intergenerational Relations, Feminist Methodology & Critical Pedagogy, and Mixed-Methods Research.

Geographical Specialization: Cyprus & Turkey & Balkans.

Areas of interest: Comparative Public Policy, Comparative Politics, Methodology, Authoritarianism.

Areas of interest: Climate, water and sustainability, Policy, Public policy

Areas of interest: Critical international relations, Globalization, Political theory, Postcolonial theory

Abigail Jaimes Zelaya’s research explores municipal strategies for COVID-19 vaccine rollout, focusing on the prioritization of Black groups. Her research examines how historical, social, and racial factors impact public health policymaking, addressing vaccine hesitancy, access, and mistrust among Black communities. Her research utilizes philosophical concepts of biopolitics, biopower, and the racial contract at the municipal level to evaluate power dynamics and racial inequities in vaccine policy. Through underscoring the value of interdisciplinary approaches in understanding policy implementation and development, her research aims to inform future decision-making in health policy, particularly during times of crisis.

Areas of interest: Comparative Politics, Interdisciplinary Research, Global Health Policy and Equity, Political Philosophy/Critical Theory and Political History

Areas of interest: Anti Oppression, Decolonization, Ethnography, International Development, Qualitative Data Analysis, Race and Ethnicity, Race and Racism, Transnationalism, Migration, and Diaspora 

Alicja Paulina Krubnik is a critical researcher of the International Political Economy. Her primary research is concerned with international financial institutions, environmental and social policies in emerging economies, and sustainable development. Her dissertation analyses the impact of development financing institutions (DFIs) on energy transitions in Latin America, focusing on the opportunities and challenges for green and just development outcomes. Alicja Paulina’s work aims to inform DFI and government policy for achieving globally just and sustainable development.

Areas of Interest: Global Political Economy, Comparative Public Policy, Critical International Relations, Public Policy, International Development, Natural Resources, Resource & Environmental Economics, Gender, Global Governance, Canadian Public Policy

Areas of interest: Health policy, Social policy

Areas of interest: Canadian politics, Canadian public policy, Election law, Public opinion, Social policy

http://digitalsocietylab.org/

Areas of interest: Artificial intelligence, Big data, Digital technology, Elections, Political behaviour, Public opinion, Social media, Survey methodology, Voting advice applications

Areas of interest: Public banking & finance, Political economy, Climate, Just transitions, Global development, Public policy, Sustainable development goals

Areas of interest: Critical international relations, Decolonization, Globalization, Transnationalism, History, temporality and time, Political philosophy, Political theory, Politics of representation, Postcolonial theory, Race

Joanna Massie’s research explores representation and recruitment in deliberative democracy, and the role of digital tools in civic education. Massie is also Project Director of CIVDEM@Mac and an Analyst at Vox Pop Labs. Massie previously worked at MASS LBP, running long-form deliberative activities, and The Royal Society of Arts (The RSA), leading a program to support engagement in health policy and public services.

Areas of interest: Public policy, Canadian politics, deliberative democracy, public engagement, public opinion

Areas of interest: Canadian politics, Global political economy, Globalization, International relations, Labour issues, Public policy, Social & health policy

Areas of interest: Citizenship studies, Critical international relations, Globalization, Immigration

Areas of interest: Critical international relations, Climate, water and sustainability, Economic history, Global political economy, Globalization, Transnationalism, International economics, International labour standards, International relations, Labour activism beyond the workplace, Labour issues, Movements, Political economy, Political sociology and social movements, Political theory, Politics and history, Postcolonial theory, Public policy, Resource and environmental economics, Social justice, Social movements, Social policy, Transnationalism and globalization

Areas of interest: Climate, water & sustainability, Critical international relations, Global political economy, Globalization, International relations

Areas of interest: International Relations; Global Political Economy; Public Banking; Development Finance; Climate and Energy Transition; Public Policy

Areas of interest: Global Political Economy, Natural Resource Extraction, Climate Finance, African Politics

Sulemana’s research spans three areas: the Global Political Economy of Natural Resource Extraction, Climate Change and Climate Finance Governance, and the Politics of Development in Africa. His dissertation examines marginalized groups’ participation in community benefits agreements (CBAs) in Ghana’s mining sector, highlighting how CBAs either address their needs or reinforce and reproduce new forms of marginalization. He has published articles in renowned journals, including Resources Policy, Extractive Industries & Society, Politics & Policy, and Africa Security Review. He currently serves as the editorial assistant for the Journal of African Security, A Taylor & Francis journal.

Beyond his research, Sulemana mentors prospective graduate applicants, with successful students securing full funding at institutions across North America, including Yale University, Ohio State University, Georgia State University, Brock University, and Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Areas of interest: Critical international relations, Decolonization, Globalization, Transnationalism, International relations, Political economy, Political theory, Politics and history, Postcolonial theory, Race and gender, Violence and ethnography of nation-state, Violence

Areas of interest: Canadian politics, Comparative politics, Digital technology, Elections, Political behaviour, Public opinion, Survey methodology

Areas of interest: Comparative politics, Global political economy, Globalization, International relations

Areas of interest: Comparative politics, Digital technology, Electoral politics, Gender & politics, Politics of representation, Qualitative methods, Race and ethnicity, Social media

Areas of interest: International Political Economy, Political Theory, International Relations

Aye Lei Tun’s research interests center on the intersections of gender, politics, media, and cultural studies, with a regional focus on Southeast Asia. Her doctoral work at McMaster University examines how women’s rights CSOs in Myanmar and Thailand sustain resilience under authoritarian regimes, particularly through transnational networks of funding, advocacy, and knowledge exchange. More broadly, she is interested in the politics of gender and sexuality, the negotiation of agency by women’s rights and queer movements, and the ways global donor agendas intersect with local struggles for justice. Her background in journalism and fiction writing also informs her interest in media and cultural politics, exploring how narratives, storytelling, and cultural production can serve as tools of both resistance and control. She is committed to bridging academic research with practice, producing work that is both theoretically rigorous and deeply connected to the lived realities of marginalized communities.

Areas of Interest: Comparative Politics, Gender and Sexuality, Media and Cultural Studies

Areas of interest: Globalization & transnationalism, Immigration, International labour standards, Movements, Poverty, Public policy

Areas of interest: Comparative politics, Critical international relations, Gender and politics, Globalization, International relations, Politics of representation