People
Graduate Students
Submit your profiles to be featured on the GSWS website and 51社区黑料Graduate Studies.
PhD Students
Arthur, Mathew
he/him
Mathew is editor-in-chief of and director of . He works across feminist technoscience and affect studies to explore ordinary multispecies practices like composting and fermenting.
Boulay, Nadine
they/them
Reserach areas: History of lesbian-feminism in the Lower Mainland in the 1970s and 80s, with a particular focus on rural and island experiences, intentional women鈥檚 communities, and the 鈥榖ack to the land鈥� movement.
Michels, Cameron
she/her
Cameron is interested in exploring the intersection of sports, gender, sexuality, and bodies. Her research focuses on queerness and trans athlete inclusion and exclusion in women鈥檚 rugby.
Rann, Shanny
she/her
Shanny Rann is a gold-medallist Taijiquan artist and dance anthropologist. Originally from Penang, Malaysia, she grounds her artistry in the island way of living and intercultural collaborations. She has competed and performed internationally, and teaches at the unceded territories of Coast Salish peoples in Vancouver, Canada. Shanny completed her Bachelor of General Studies at 51社区黑料 and went on to obtain a Master of Arts in Dance Studies from York University and Erasmus Mundus Masters in Dance Knowledge, Practice, and Heritage (Choreomundus). Her previous research on 鈥榗ham, a Tibetan Buddhist dance ritual, was conducted in the Himalayas with refugee monks and was published in ausDance and Recherches en Danse. She is happy to be back at 51社区黑料 and is completing her PhD dissertation on women and Taiji.
Reed, KJ
they/them
KJ's SSHRC-funded doctoral work explores privacy and disclosure decisions in the lives of trans, non-binary, two spirit, and other gender non-conforming youth.
MA Students
Fan, Ira
she/her
Ira began her academic journey with a degree in Psychology and has since cultivated a career bridging education, counselling, and gender studies. Currently, she works as a Teaching Assistant in GSWS, supporting students with the challenges they encounter in class. Beyond academia, as a dedicated counsellor, Ira has worked with clients exploring the complexities of gender constructs, balancing personal experiences with wider societal expectations. Motivated by both clinical and life experience, she is committed to advancing gender equity by addressing psychological and spiritual dimensions, empowering individuals to embrace their identities while contributing to a more inclusive society.
David-McIsaac, Jamie
she/her
Jamie鈥檚 inspiration to join this program came from her work within the field of women鈥檚 health care. In this program, Jamie hopes to explore health inequity through a feminist lens, while expanding her knowledge and engagement in women鈥檚 health care and reproductive health. Jamie hopes to contribute to a more informed and compassionate health care system.
Gutierrez Heredia, Ana Paola
she/her
Ana is a historian, an avid reader of historical drama, and an advocate of feminism. She graduated top of her class from the UNAM and later worked as an English teacher in an elementary school in Mexico, where she taught a feminist version of history, constantly encouraging her students to be autonomous and to question gender stereotypes. She is recognized as the favorite teacher of her students, who remember her when hearing Taylor Swift.
Her field of research focuses on the study of women in Mexico and Regency England, especially through the literature of the period, emphasis on Jane Austen.
Sherbafi, Sohila
she/her
Sohila Sherbafi is a feminist and human rights activist with extensive experience in both the private and public sectors, as well as a strong background in advocacy and community engagement. As an active member of Amnesty International Tri-Cities BC, she continues to champion human rights through advocacy campaigns and public awareness initiatives. In 2024, as an Iranian women鈥檚 rights activist, she chose to further her commitment to gender justice by pursuing a Master of Arts in Gender, Sexuality, and Women鈥檚 Studies (GSWS) at 51社区黑料. Her research focuses on the complexities of gender-based violence affecting women and gender-diverse individuals through an intersectional lens, deepening her understanding of systemic barriers and feminist intervention strategies.