51ÉçÇøºÚÁÏ

I am a human geographer who studies migration, non-citizenship, and labour. I got my PhD in Geography at the University of Toronto. My writing on detention, immigration enforcement, and labour can be found in journals like the Annals of the American Association of Geographers, Envrironment and Planning D: Society & Space, Antipode, Citizenship Studies, and more.  In my spare time I like to be imperfect at biking, skating, knitting, making food, and listening to all the music. As a researcher with the Morgan Centre for Labour Research and BC Policy Solutions, I am conducting a project titled "New Policy Directions in Climate and Labour Precarity." The project is funded by a Mitacs award and is a collaborative partnership with the BC Policy Solutions think tank.

Why did you choose to come to SFU?

It is amazing to be working with Kendra Strauss and connecting with the impressive community of researchers at the Morgan Centre. I am learning a lot about building strong community research partnerships. I am also excited to be at 51ÉçÇøºÚÁÏbecause of the long history of community engaged research — there's lots of opportunities for me to get better at knowledge exchange and learn from the amazing work that's done at CERi.

How would you describe your research or your program to a family member?

My project is about how vulnerabilities connected to climate change intersect with nonstandard, precarious forms of employment. And of course, these vulnerabilities are different for people working in different sectors, with different immigration statuses, and different kinds of backgrounds. I am learning how problems like exposure to extreme weather, smoke, heat, and flooding impact workers, which workers get impacted the most, and what we can do about it.

What are you particularly enjoying about your studies/research at SFU?

I was surprised by how much I like the 51ÉçÇøºÚÁÏcampus. I think I was here in a dream before!

Contact Leah Montange: leah_montange@sfu.ca