Supervision
I prioritize supervisions that align with the focus of my lab, the Rights and Representation Lab. While there will be variation in what I’m willing and able to supervise by level of study (e.g., BA, MA, PhD, and postdoc), I encourage you to discuss your interests with me if you plan to work on one or more of the following topics:
LGBTQ2S+ politics in Canada (including Canada in comparative perspective)
Diversity in Canadian political institutions
Canadian political parties
Canadian interest groups and social movements
Canadian political development (big over-time developments)
Supervision Opportunities
Honours Thesis Students
I plan to supervise up to two honours thesis students during the 2025-2026 academic year. Applications to the honours thesis are generally in May, but I encourage interested students to email me between January and April 2025 to arrange a meeting and agree on a potential topic. You can learn more about the Honours Thesis Program in the Department of Political Studies here.
A strong application tends to include the following:
Research Question and Importance: What question do you plan to answer in your honours thesis? This should be something you can answer in the scope of 50-60 pages over about seven months. You should also explain why answering this question is important. What would answering this question tell us that we don’t know? How might it change the work of academics, activists, governments, etc.?
Existing Literature: Cite work throughout your proposal to show you’ve done some reading and see how your research builds on past work. Describe what the academic literature says about your topic of study, especially your research question.
Tentative Methodology: Describe how you plan to answer your research question. Be as specific as possible. For example, if you are proposing interviews, describe who you would interview and why they are suitable for answering the research question you propose. If you propose doing archival research, which archives and collections would you need to access and is it feasible for you to visit and access them?
Fit with Supervisor: Describe how your research fits with mine and work of the Rights and Representation Lab, if you are applying to have me as your supervisor.
Graduate Students (MA and PhD)
I am currently recruiting MA or PhD students to start in September 2025. If you are interested in applying to Queen’s for an MA or PhD in Political Studies and have substantial overlap with my interests, please email me so we can discuss this further. I may have additional funding available in the form of a Graduate Research Fellowship. Our graduate applications deadline is January 22, 2025. You can find more information about how to apply to the MA or PhD program here. If eligible, I also encourage you to apply for the Ontario Graduate Scholarship and SSHRC. More information about those graduate funding opportunities is available here.
Pre-Doctoral Fellows
I am happy to speak with those interested in applying for a pre-doctoral fellowship under my supervision. Queen’s has Pre-Doctoral Fellowships for Indigenous Students and Black Studies Students. You can learn more about those pre-doctoral fellowship programs here.
PostDoctoral Fellows
I am happy to chat with those who wish to apply for a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship under my supervision. Queen’s also has two postdoctoral fellowships focused on Canadian politics and democracy, the Skelton-Clark and Buchanan Postdoctoral Fellowships. When available, those postdoctoral fellowships are posted here. If you are interested in applying and working under my supervision, please email me to arrange a meeting.
Current and Former (Co-)Supervisions
Pre-Doctoral Fellows (PhD)
2022. Tari Ajadi, Power in Presence: Black Social Movements in Policing and Public Health in Halifax, Nova Scotia and London, Ontario
Master’s Research Projects (MA)
2021-2022. Kevin Arnel, Chairing Change? The Descriptive Representation of Women on House of Commons Standing Committees in the 36th to 44th Parliaments
2021-2022. Nikhil Pandeya, Party Strategy, Canadian Multiculturalism, and the Bombing of Air India Flight 182
2021-2022. Katherine Poehlmann, Not Our Problem: The Canadian Response to Violence against Queer Women
Honours Theses (BA)
In progress. Janica Arevalo
2022-2023. Kate Burke Pellizzari, Are LGBTQ+ Candidates at a Disadvantage? An Examination of Political Finance in the 2015-2021 Canadian Federal Elections
Research Assistants and Research Fellows
2024. Kaitie Jourdeuil, Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF)
2024. Janica Arevalo, Undergraduate Student Summer Research Fellow (USSRF)
2023. Kate Burke Pellizzari, GRF
2023-2024. Harry Blackwell, Undergraduate Research Assistant
PhD Thesis Committees (Examination)
In progress. Lori Oliver (Political Studies), Social Reproduction from the Margins: Can Canada’s National Housing Strategy Reduce Single Mothers’ Crises of Care?
In progress. Kelvin Eisses (Political Studies), Does the Public Government Model Support Self-Determination for Nunavut Inuit?
2024. Elisha Corbett (Political Studies), Reflections and Reinforcements of Public Apathy: Newspaper Coverage and Framing of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People in Canada
2024. Erin Gallagher-Cohoon (History), Queerly Familial: Canadian Histories of Queer Reproduction, Parenting, and Activism, 1968-2005
2023. Danielle McNabb (Political Studies), Legal Mobilization and Democracy: An Analysis of Interventions at the Supreme Court of Canada, 2013-2021
2023. Elizabeth McCallion (Political Studies), Who Acts for Women? An Analysis of Women’s Substantive Representation in the Canadian Senate
2021. Jacob Robbins-Kanter (Political Studies), Central Party Authority and Constituency Campaign Discipline in Canadian Federal Elections
2021. Gwyneth Bergman (Political Studies), Tribunals, Trials, and Tribulations: The Impact of Administrative Law on Religious Freedom in the Supreme Court of Canada
2021. Marin Ingalise Beck (Political Studies), Neoliberal Pressures, Neoliberal Responses: The Strategic Utilization of Gender in the Canadian Settlement Sector and Implications for Immigrant Women’s Service Organizations