People

Kassandre graduated from the University of Montreal with an MA in Anthropology where her SSHRC funded research focused on religion and youth in diaspora. After working in research for the University of Montréal, l’Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue on questions of immigration and integration in Canada, she worked at the City of Montreal’s Newcomer Office. More recently, Kassandre worked in project management and project evaluation in France and Pakistan. Passionate about questions of displacement and cultural integration, she now works as Coordinator for the Institute for Research on Immigration and Society (IRMS) at Concordia University.

Samiha holds a degree in Community, Public Affairs and Policy Studies from Concordia University and brings over three years of experience in administration and communications within the community sector.

At IRMS, she will lead communications efforts to amplify the institute’s multidisciplinary research on migration and social transformation. With a strong background in outreach and event coordination, Samiha will help us engage diverse audiences and foster knowledge sharing across our networks.

With a bachelor's degree in business administration and tourism, as well as a diploma in computerized accounting, I have over nine years of professional experience in the Quebec job market. My career lies at the intersection of accounting, administration, and organizational management, with a specialization in financial operations and administrative processes.

My career path has allowed me to work in diverse organizational contexts, notably in the tourism sector, and then within international logistics companies such as FedEx, Expeditors Canada, and Canada Cartage. More recently, my role as an administrative technician at the Caisse Centrale of the Université de Montréal has provided me with a new perspective on the academic environment and allowed me to tackle highly complex tasks, develop a versatile, analytical, and collaborative approach, while strengthening my communication skills and my ability to support strategic decision-making.

Nadya Zezyulina is a distinguished fellow at Concordia University's research chair on the politics of immigration and a research assistant for the "Migrant Integration in the Mid-21st Century: Bridging Divides" project. She earned a bachelor's degree in business management from Samara State University and further pursued her passion for societal issues by obtaining a Psychology degree, with a minor in Immigration Studies, from Concordia University. Nadya is a recipient of a research fellowship Migrant Integration in the Mid-21st Century: Bridging Divides awarded by Concordia’s Department of Political Science.

Sivakamy Thayaalan is a PhD student in the Department of Political Science at Concordia University studying sanctuary city policies and the experiences of undocumented migrants in Canada under the supervision of Dr. Mireille Paquet. Previously, she has worked in programmatic roles in international non-profit organizations such as War Child Canada and as a research assistant at York University conducting research on topics related to forced migration and disaster recovery.

Thomas Reynolds is a master's student in the Department of Political Science at Concordia University. Working under Dr. Mireille Paquet, he is studying food insecurity within refugee populations in Canada. Thomas looks forward to integrating his experience working in the food industry into his research, providing a unique perspective. From Portland, Oregon, Thomas obtained his bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Oregon, focusing on political theory and legal systems. He is the recipient of the Steven Goldberg Entrance Bursary and Campaign for a New Millennium Student Contribution Graduate Scholarship. In addition to his studies, Thomas works as a Teaching Assistant and a Research Assistant at Concordia University.

Brianna Losinger-Ross is an MA student in the Department of Journalism at Concordia University. Having completed a minor in Immigration Studies during her undergrad, she has always been interested in Quebec and Canadian immigration, with a particular focus on the media’s role in public perception. She is currently working as a research assistant, researching topics related to how immigration is discussed in Canadian parliament and its evolution over time.

Juliana Tinoco is an MA student in Political Science at Concordia University, specializing in migration. She holds a BA in International Development from McGill University, with double minors in Sociology and Communications. Her research focuses on integration policies in Canada, with particular attention to the aspirations of economic migrants and how these intersect or clash with government expectations around qualifications, labour, and belonging. She is currently a Research Assistant with the Institute for Research on Migration and Society (IRMS), collaborating with postdoctoral fellow Émile Baril on research examining migrant labour and working conditions in the Canadian truck driving industry.

Isabella Fiore is a master's student in the Department of Political Science at Concordia University studying political discourses around immigration in Canadian politics. Isabella obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Ottawa in political science and gender studies; she looks forward to applying her intersectional academic perspective to migration scholarship throughout her graduate studies. Isabella is a recipient of a research fellowship in "Migrant Integration in the Mid-21st Century: Bridging Divides", awarded by the Department of Political Science at Concordia University. 

Charles-Olivier L’Homme is a PhD student in the Department of Political Science at Concordia University, where he studies migration diplomacy from an international relations perspective. He holds a dual MA from UQAM and Sciences Po Grenoble, where he specialized in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dynamics. His doctoral research examines Turkey’s use of the Syrian crisis as a leverage tool in its relations with the European Union, under the supervision of Mireille Paquet. He is also a contributor to the CFREF project "Migrant Integration in the Mid-21st Century: Bridging Divides."

Alicia Fortier-Leblanc is a PhD student in the Department of Political Science at Concordia University under the supervision of Dr. Mireille Paquet. Her research examines how the precarious legal status of temporary immigrants shapes their trust in political institutions in Quebec and Canada. She holds a B.A. in Communication and Politics from Université de Montréal and an M.A. in Applied Politics from Université de Sherbrooke, during which she completed an internship at the Ministère des Relations internationales et de la Francophonie of Quebec on issues of international student mobility. She has also worked as a facilitator in the francization and integration program at the Université du Québec à Montréal.

Celia Bensiali (she/her) is a PhD student in Political Science at Concordia University. Her research examines how sanctuary cities in Canada and Europe design inclusive policies and mobilize transnational networks to advance rights and social inclusion amid increasingly restrictive migration regimes. 

Celia’s broader work explores the evolving architectures of urban governance, territorial justice, and the multilevel dynamics of policy implementation. Her doctoral project builds on extensive professional and research experience bridging academia and public administration. Before starting her PhD, she worked at the City of Montreal’s Service for Diversity and Social Inclusion, where she contributed to initiatives addressing housing insecurity and the inclusion of unhoused populations. She also collaborated as both researcher and coordinator within the international network TRYSPACES, leading interdisciplinary teams on youth and migrant participation in urban public life. 

Her work combines an intersectional and critical approach at the crossroads of political science, urban studies, and migration policy. She is the recipient of the SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship (2025–2028), the Bridging Divides Fellowship (2024–2025), the ERIQA Research Grant (2024–2025), as well as the Concordia University Merit Scholarship (2024–2025). 

Jocelyne Brad is a PhD student in the Department of Political Science at Concordia University studying explainable AI and its implementation in immigration policy under the supervision of Dr. Mireille Paquet. She holds a BA from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where she studied International Relations and French and Francophone studies. Alongside her studies, she works as a Research Assistant exploring explainability in immigration policy and digital platform transformation and works as a Teaching Assistant.

Benjamin Astorga is an Honours student in Pure and Applied Mathematics at Concordia University and a national level gymnast training at the Olympic Training Centre. His Honors project focused on studying a generalization of derivates, called proximal sub-gradients. He has also founded a gymnastics software start-up called Gym Art, focused on bringing accessibility to the sport. It has tools ranging from automatically calculating the start value of a gymnastics routine, to reducing the time to organize a gymnastics event from hours to seconds and mathematically ensure the quality of experience of the athletes, coaches and judges. 

Estefania Perez completed a MA degree in the Department of Political Science at Concordia University, studying immigrant influencers' role in shaping migration choices under the supervision of Dr. Mireille Paquet.

Hannah Lazarus, a recent graduate of Concordia University with a Bachelor's in Political Science and a minor in Human Rights, is currently doing Master’s studies in Public Policy and Public Administration at the same institution. Her international experience at Sciences Po Aix in Aix-en-Provence provided valuable insights into political issues from a European perspective. Having worked in a senior position at a Jewish community center for two years, she is looking forward to integrating her communication and collaboration skills in her role as a research assistant.