My research examines the relationship between sociodemographic diversity and politics in Canada, with a particular focus on gender and race.
I have two main goals: first, to develop research-driven responses to political inequality, and second, to train a new, more diverse generation of social scientists. I strive for research that contributes to institutions that are more reflective and representative of Canadian society.
My work is multi-method, and I use content analysis, interviews, experiments, and survey data as my primary methods. I am particularly drawn toward research that requires the construction and analysis of original datasets. Whether it is sifting through thousands of media articles, conducting more than 100 elite interviews, compiling comprehensive data on more than 4,000 electoral candidates, or coding the gender and ethnicity of thousands of political donors, I love work that presents data that is fresh but time-consuming to collect and which involves student researchers in the creation of new knowledge.
My book, Framed: Media and the Coverage of Race in Canadian Politics, received the 2017 Donald Smiley Prize, which recognizes the best book published in Canadian government and politics. I am the co-editor of six additional books, including the most recent, Women, Power, and Political Representation. Peer-reviewed articles appear in Electoral Studies, Politics & Gender, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Canadian Journal of Political Science, and other outlets.
I have been lucky to work with excellent collaborators on a number of projects. My research is supported by the Canada Research Chairs program and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. In 2023, I received Carleton University’s Research Achievement Award.
I am currently an Associate Editor at the Canadian Journal of Political Science.
My research occurs in four main streams:
Political representation
This research focuses on the political representation of race and gender, primarily in Canada. This work is institutionally oriented and traces patterns of inclusion and exclusion.
Race and gender in elections
This stream examines the impact of race and gender on elections and explores issues related to vote choice, political participation and electoral behaviour.
Media coverage
In this stream, I answer questions about how the media cover issues related to race, immigration, and multiculturalism.
Diversity in political science
This research explores how issues related to gender, race, and Indigeneity are taught and communicated in political science.
I have a number of projects in progress. These include:
- Investigating how racial identity has been conceptualized and measured in Canada
- Working with Operation Black Vote Canada to chart Black Canadians’ electoral participation
- Leading new work on diverse representation in municipal politics as part of the Canadian Municipal Barometer
- Tracing how Canadian political parties have addressed immigration issues from 1967 to present
- Cataloguing the representation of Indigenous peoples in political science textbooks
New research
Racist campaign speech and political engagement
Does racist campaign speech cause targeted groups to engage in or retreat from politics?
Intersectionality and candidate recruitment
Research examining how race, gender, and intersectionality shape candidate recruitment
Gendered perceptions of mayoral candidates
Voters' assessments of mayoral candidates are shaped by stereotypes about their trait and issue strengths
Who ran and won in 2021?
Results from a new analysis of diversity in the 2021 Canadian federal election
Women, power and political representation
Women, Power, and Political Representation named a Hill Times Best Book of 2021
How diverse is Canadian politics?
Introducing a new dataset on the demographics of more than 4,500 federal election candidates