Nitima Bhatia â€“ PhD, Education

Bhatia's innovative dissertation focuses on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Launched in 2016, UN SDGs are a set of objectives with a universal understanding and agreement to end poverty, protect all that makes the planet habitable, and ensure peace and prosperity are enjoyed by all people. Specifically, Bhatia’s research focuses on how universities in Canada enact their policies and plans related to SDGs.

“It is believed that Higher Education Institute, especially universities, have a bigger role to contribute to the SDGs,” notes Bhatia. “I think my research can provide an understanding of that role and how universities are contributing to the SDGs through their specific initiatives or actions through global and national and local impacts.”

_{A photo of Nitima Bhatia}

Jennifer Hodder – MScN, Nursing

Hodder has been a critical care trauma nurse for almost 20 years at St. Michael’s Hospital. For her cutting-edge Master’s project, she has been studying gun violence through the perceptions of critical care trauma nurses and their experiences of caring for individuals with gunshot injuries and their families.

“While their experiences are horrible and hard to be relived the people that I have talked to are so passionate about this and have been so willing to be vulnerable and willing to share their experiences to improve the lives of others and themselves,” shares Hodder.

This qualitative study is meant to expand our understanding of gun violence as a nursing phenomenon and contribute to the discussion of how nurses can actively participate in social justice while working at the bedside.

_{A photo of Jennifer Hodder}

Terry Jones – MFA, Film

Jones is a Seneca filmmaker who grew up on the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation. His thesis film, Osnö', is a story of the twelve-year-old Young Speaker, whose preoccupation with WWII conflicts with his grandfather’s attempts to teach the boy the customs and traditions of Seneca/Haudenosaunee culture. The film raises important and critical themes including the loss of ancestral knowledge, the endangerment of Indigenous languages, war, colonialism and intergenerational historical trauma.

“Indigenous culture and history to a lot of the general public is a mystery. I feel that there isn't a lot of knowledge in terms of who we were, who we are now, and where we're going to in the future,” shares Jones. “I want to be able to inform, entertain and have my audience reflect on this sometimes serious subject matter.”

_{A photo of Terry Jones}

CeAnn Marks – MA, Psychology

Marks’ research highlights that men and women often recuperate from certain conditions like concussions differently. In her MA study, she notes the differences in how males and females recover in visuomotor and emotionality domains after suffering trauma.  

“Concussion research has mainly looked at males or a combination of males and females but hasn't really looked at distinct differences between males and females,” reveals Marks, “so the goal, hopefully, is that this research directly or indirectly will help create specific treatments and approaches to concussion management.”

The individualized treatments that Marks discusses in her research can improve post-concussion outcomes or the symptoms that people experience post-concussion.

_{A photo of CeAnn Marks}

Rupsha Mutsuddi – MDes, Design

Mutsuddi’s MA study uses a human-centered approach to understand daily rituals in everyday activities for persons living with dementia and their care partners. Daily rituals are the customized and nuanced ways we go about everyday activities, for instance making a morning cup of tea or coffee.

“We're trying to understand those experiences first before going into technology design,” explains Mutsuddi. “We hope the way that we are incorporating daily rituals sort of paves the way for others to do so as well to create inclusive structures that take into account people's social and cultural and individualized habits as well.”

Her cutting-edge research can have a positive impact on society and make the lives of the aging population more comfortable by keeping people in their homes longer with their families. 

_{A photo of Rupsha Mutsuddi}

Biftu Yousuf – PhD, Geography

Yousuf’s dissertation examines Canada’s refugee protection and resettlement project, which offers a pathway to safety and protection to those who are abroad but are in need of resettlement. Her particular focus is on the invisible sponsorship role of racialized diasporas who have become sponsors, particularly groups of people or communities of people who are made up of formerly resettled refugees or even asylum seekers.

“I have found that the knowledge mobilization has been the most thrilling aspect of the research,” shares Yousuf. “So far, I've had ample opportunities to collaborate with civil society, exchange knowledge ideas and information and even co-develop some solutions to some pressing issues in this private refugee sponsorship program.”

Her important research can influence and inform policymaking decisions in the future and provide solutions to social and economic inequalities.

_{A photo of Biftu Yousuf}

– Doctoral Student, Social & Political Thought

Jefford takes on the imperative work of decolonizing education through the funds of knowledge theory, which promotes student and community-centred participation. “The funds of knowledge works both ways, students and their communities have knowledge which is welcomed and included in the classroom learning, and the teacher can learn from students as well,” explains Jefford.

Conducting research in the Jane and Finch area, Jefford aims to support diverse students with their music learning.  She is also working on professional development with Camérise, a project that seeks to support French as a Second Language teacher retention and inclusion. This critical work has the potential to create positive change in the community by advocating for the diversity, equity and inclusion of marginalized voices.

_{Munjeera Jefford}

– Doctoral Student, Communication & Culture

Marlatt is conducting work on the lived experience of students and alumni of North American Moving Image Archival Education Programs who identify as having a disability, or chronic illness or are neurodivergent. The research covers topics of admissions, campus services, training/internships and career prospects post-graduation. Marlatt is working with programs at TMU, NYU, UCLA and The L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation on the project.

“I'm really just looking at getting more disability inclusion in conversations,” shares Marlatt. “Right now, disability, chronic illness and neurodiversity are quite underrepresented in the archival field especially on the staff side and on the archivist side.”

_{Michael Marlatt}

– Doctoral Student, Gender, Feminist & Women's Studies 

Nader is the editor-in-chief of Zan Times, a women-led newsroom that covers human rights violations in Afghanistan with a focus on women, LGBTQI people and environmental issues. Since August 2021, Zahra Nader has been constantly involved in covering the situation of women in Afghanistan. Nader’s research highlights a troubling absence of Afghan women in the country’s history. She emphasizes that without having this knowledge accessible, generations of Afghan women are negatively impacted, and the cycle of oppression continues. 

Nader’s research was inspired by her own life experience, “Western media somehow portrayed Afghan women as a victim, but the women who are fighting daily to get their basic human rights, I don't see them as a victim I see them as a fighter.”

_{Zahra Nader}

– Doctoral Student, Nursing (now Alumni)

Ramesh Perumal's dissertation assesses the impact of mentorship and social support on the career advancement of internationally educated nurses (IEN) compared to Canada Educated Nurses. He accentuates that after graduating and obtaining their license, internationally educated nurses still have to navigate challenges in the workforce such as understanding the nuances of communication and the Healthcare System.

“The findings of my study would shed light on the value of establishing mentorship programs and social support networks and workplaces, which will actually enable internationally educated nurses to do well in the profession,” says Perumal.

_{Ramesh V Perumal}

– Doctoral Student, Psychology

Qasim's overall program of research looks at faith-based models of psychology/counselling, as well as working with immigrant and migrant (specifically Syrian refugees) communities. This innovative study investigates how Islamic faith might be used as a coping mechanism, and as a way to manage mental health, mental illness, and everyday stressors.

This community-forward research can create positive impacts both within and outside academia. The findings from the study can be used by teachers to create an Islamic psychology curriculum or mental health workbooks. Additionally, the research can help non-Muslim clinicians to better adapt their theories to make their therapies more culturally appropriate.

_{Kashmala Qasim}

– Doctoral Student, Political Science

Weldon's cutting-edge research investigates political strategies that can improve global cooperation around emerging health threats, including zoonoses and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and draws lessons from global governance of other major issues such as climate change and biodiversity management. AMR is a process where medicines like antibiotics and antivirals stop working against infectious diseases. Weldon posits that the problem with AMR is that these medicines will stop working and solutions must be identified in order to conserve the existing stock of effective antimicrobials while innovating new ones to replenish that clean stock.

 

_{Isaac Weldon}

, a master’s student in Public Policy, Administration and Law, explores the experiences of autistic adults and caregivers in the Autism Mental Health Literacy Project (AM-HeLP). The guides created by AM-HeLP emphasise that societal acceptance and appreciation of autism is critical for better support and well-being of Autistic adults. Her visionary research can lead to societal changes in improving mental health care services in Canada.

“I hope that my research really can aid in the planning or the development of future mental health services and programs and also to build policies that build capacity and promote effective collaborations with stakeholders to better address unmet needs in society,” says Tablon Modica of the project. Her research highlights how vital it is to be an ally to marginalized groups and advocate for their voices to be heard.

_{Paula Tablon Modica}

is a PhD candidate in the Department of Chemistry, who is exploring the use of non-metal catalysts as more sustainable alternatives of the future. His project creates a positive impact on a global scale by advocating for a greener chemical industry. Jordan is thinking outside the box with his research by opposing traditions in the field. Previously, scientists used metal catalysts to form unique bond activations and lower the energetic barriers that enabled these transformations, but Bentley is proposing that some organic materials can also do this.

The research that Bentley is undertaking has prepared him for a meaningful career in research. Whether it is going to be inside or outside of academia, his enthusiasm for the field will aid him in generating a more sustainable future for generations to come. “My passion has always been in energy research especially on the chemical end,” says Bentley. “I’ve always loved to get my hands dirty and really understand how things work even from a young age.”

_{Jordan Bentley}

is a third year PhD student at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. She is conducting multi-disciplinary research combining psychology, vision science and computer vision in order to understand drivers’ driving patterns. This cutting-edge work aims to build better driving assistance systems that can warn drivers and direct them to the things that they should be paying attention to on the road. By building these healthy driving patterns, this visionary research can ultimately save lives.

Kotseruba’s program provided the necessary interdisciplinary opportunities to make this research possible, “I felt very fortunate to be exposed to many many works that give me a lot of ideas that I couldn't think of just staying within computer vision,” says Kotseruba. Through venturing outside of her direct field, Kotseruba has the potential to create global impacts.

_{Iuliia Kotseruba}

The virtual classroom has become a real-life research project for , a master's student in Education. His research is very timely as it deals with technology in education and its pedagogical, ethical and political consequences. His innovative project questions how specific identities engage differently with the multitudes of functions of Zoom and other platforms that are being used for virtual classrooms.

“I think that the resulting pedagogies coming from my project will seek to inform curriculum design and teaching design and how we go about engaging in teaching in the virtual classroom,” says Khan of the potential contributions that his project can have on the future of education.

_{Noah Khan}