RESEARCH

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. My current projects include a Partnership Engage Grant to work with Operation Black Vote Canada to better understand the participation of Black Canadians in electoral politics and an Insight Grant to study the conceptualization and measurement of racial identity in Canada. 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 and understanding how this affects research results
Working with Operation Black Vote Canada to chart Black Canadians’ electoral participation
Researching the links between race, gender and online harassment of electoral candidates
Examining how negative group-based rhetoric influences the attitudes and participation of racialized and ethnic minority voters
Tracing how Canadian political parties have addressed immigration issues from 1967 to present
Cataloguing the representation of Indigenous peoples in political science textbooks