Mentoring and learning from students is the best part of our work. Over the years, I had the privilege to work with some outstanding students. I am always looking for bright and inspiring students to join the research team.

UPDATE: I am currently accepting Ph.D. students for academic year 2022-2023. 

RESEARCH TEAM MEMBERS

Research Associate

• Dr. Elizabeth Kalbfleisch has been working on our MITACS-funded project: ““Investing in Recovery: Strengthening Employer and Policy Roles in Labour Market Integration of Canada’s Immigrant Women in STEM” (with TechGirls Canada) as well as on the Public Health-Canada funded project, “Vaccination, Misinformation and Digital Media: Mobilizing Newcomer Information Practices for Effective COVID Communications” (with Refugee 613).

   (See our animated film…)

Post-Doctoral Fellow

• Dr. Lisa Ndejuru (Concordia U.), “Waking the Stories: Rwandan Genocide, Archives and Memory. ” Provostial Postdoctoral Fellowship. (2020-2022).

Doctoral Students

• Congratulations Dr. Jamila Ghaddar! (2021): “Provenance in Place: Archives, Settler Colonialism and the Making of a Global Order.“

• Cansu Ekmekcioglu, 2018-present.
• Mariam Karim, 2017-2020.

Masters Thesis 

• Jamie Duncan, 2019, “Negotiating Citizenship: Mediatized Migration and the Canadian Border.” (2nd reader: Prof. Leslie Shade).

Ph.D. Committees 

• Dina Sabie, Computer Science, U. of Toronto (Supervisor: Dr. Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed)
• Megan Hull, Fac. of Information (Supervisor: Dr. Cara Krmpotich)
• Omer Hacker, Anthropology/Religion, UofT/HUJ (Supervisors: Drs. N. Stadler & S. Coleman)

Past Graduates and Collaborators

Past Post-Doctoral Fellows

• Dr. Sambhavi Chandrashekar, “Privateye – electronic navigational aids for individuals with vision impairments.” MITACS Elevate Industrial Fellowship Award. (2010-2012).
• Dr. Rhonda McEwen, “Investigating the Mobile Phone Information Practices of Newcomers.” MITACS Accelerate Internship Program in partnership with Globalive Wireless. (2009-2010).

Past Doctoral Students (with current affiliations)

• Dr. Jamila Ghaddar, 2021. Assistant Prof. at Dalhousie U., and SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow at the Univ. of Manitoba;

• Dr. Danielle Allard, 2015, Associate Professor, School of Library and Information Studies, University of Alberta.

• Dr. Diane Dechief, 2014. Science Communication Specialist, Office of Science Education (Fac of Science), McGill University, Montreal, QC.

• Dr. Lisa Quirke, 2014. Business Analysis and Information Management, City of Toronto.

• Dr. Sambhavi Chandrashekar, 2010. (co-supervised with Dr. Stephen Hockema). Senior Accessibility Lead at D2L Corporation (formerly Desire2Learn); Adjunct Faculty (York, Univ. of Toronto, and OCADU).

• Dr. Rhonda McEwen, 2009. Professor and Canada Research Chair in Tactile Interfaces, Communication and Cognition at UTM-CCIT, Univ. of Toronto.

… And 13 years later, Dr. McEwen’s inauguration as the President and Vice-Provost of Victoria College at the University of Toronto (so proud!).

Past Students (as a Dissertation Committee Member)

• Dr. Christie Oh, Univ. of Toronto, 2021.
• Dr. Wajanat Rayes, UMBC, 2020.
• Dr. Elysia Guzik, Univ. of Toronto, 2017.
• Dr. Keren Dali, Univ. of Toronto, 2010.
• Dr. Adam Fiser, Univ. of Toronto, 2009.
• Dr. Joseph Ferenbok, Univ. of Toronto, 2009.
• Dr. Mary Cavanagh, Univ. of Toronto, 2008.
• Dr. Andrea A. Cortinois, Faculty of Medicine, HPME, 2008.
• Dr. Anu Macintosh-Murray, Univ. of Toronto, 2003.

Past Masters Theses

Supervisor

• Jamie Duncan. (2019). “Negotiating Citizenship: Mediatized Migration and the Canadian Border.” Faculty of Information, University of Toronto. (2nd reader: Prof. Leslie Shade).
• Elise Chien. (2005). “Informing and Involving Newcomers Online: Users’ Perspectives of Settlement.Org.” Faculty of Information, University of Toronto. (2nd, reader: Ted Richmond).
• Pia Russell. (2004). “Information Literacy and Education Policy: An Instrumental Case Study of the Ontario Public School Curriculum.”  Faculty of Information, University of Toronto.

Second Reader

• Michel Mersereau. (2015). “The Abiotic Internet – Organizational Interdependency and Internet Enabled Practices at Na-Me-Res.” (Supervisor: Leslie Shade). Faculty of Information, University of Toronto.
• Sarah Roberts. (2014). “The Classifying Work of Immigration Infrastructure: A Critical Analysis of Temporary Foreign Workers Access to Settlement Services.” (Supervisor: Leslie Shade). Faculty of Information, University of Toronto.
• Bruce Harpham. (2009). “Civil society groups in the Net Neutrality Debate in Canada and the United States.” (Supervisor: Andrew Clement). Faculty of Information, University of Toronto.
• Sayaka Sugimoto. (2008). “Multiculturalism: A Discourse Analysis of the Citizenship and Immigration Canada and Canadian Heritage Websites.”  (Supervisor: Juris Dilevko). Faculty of Information, University of Toronto.

Global Undergraduate Research Experience

• Shuting Deng (2019). MITACS Globalink Research Internship for International Undergraduates. (Sun Yat-sen University, China). Research Project: “Social Media, Older Adults and Cultural Literacy.”
• Junyue (Mavis) Shen (2018). MITACS Globalink Research Internship for International Undergraduates. (Sun Yat-sen University, China). Research Project: “Diversity by Design: Social Media and Cultural Literacy.”
• Laia Colomer Marquez (2015). MITACS Globalink Research Internship for International Undergraduates. (Mexico City, Mexico). Research Project: “Pilgrimage 2.0: Young People, Religion and Social Media.”
• Aline Lima Abrao (2014). MITACS Globalink Research Internship for International Undergraduates. (Brasilia, Brazil). Research Project: “Surfing the Multilingual Web: Implications for Accessibility and Credibility.”

External Examiner

• Dr. Ali Ahammad Taher Hasan (Univ. of Calcutta, India), 2021. “Inventorization of Indigenous Rice Varieties and Associated Traditional Knowledge of Rice Cultivation in the Perspective of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in Murshidabad District of West Bengal.” (Supervisor: Prof. Sabuj Kumar Chaudhuri)
• Dr. Millicent Nnebuogor Mabi (iSchool, UBC), 2020. “Viewing Immigrant Labour Integration Through an Intersectional Lens: Information and Identity in the Settlement of African Immigrants to Metro Vancouver, British Columbia.” (Supervisor: Prof. Heather O’Brien).
• Dr. Brian Griffin (iSchool, Toronto), 2020. “Information Practices in Amateur Classical Musicianship” (Supervisor: Prof. Jenna Hartel). (Role: Internal-External)
• Dr. Mahmood Khosrowjerdi (Oslo Metropolitan Univ.), 2018. “National Culture and Trust in Online Health Information.” (Supervisor: Prof. I. Ruthven). [First Opponent].
• Dr. Alison Frayne (Western University), 2018. “A Study of Six Nations Public Library: Rights and Access to Information.” (Supervisor: Prof. C. Johnson).
• Dr. Nadia Naffi (Concordia University), 2017. “Learning About Oneself: An Essential Process to Confront Social Media Propaganda Against the Resettlement of Syrian Refugees.” (Supervisor: Prof. Ann-Louise Davidson).
• Dr. Natasha Ali (iSchool, Toronto) (Internal-External), 2017. “Information Behaviour of Sell-Side and Other Analysts in Financial Institutions in Toronto, Canada.” (Supervisor: Prof. Chun Wei Choo).
• Dr. Nouf Kashman (McGill University), 2014. “Investigating the application of Hofstede’s Model of Cultural Dimensions to Arabic Web Interfaces.” (Supervisors: Prof. J. Beheshti & A. Large).