Irena Knezevic, Carleton University (she/her)
Event co-organizer
Irena Knezevic is an associate professor in communication, culture and health at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, where she co-directs the Food and Media Hub research initiative. Most of her work is community-based and focuses on food systems, health communication, equity, and the discourse around food and health. Irena is a co-editor of the 2022 textbook, Food Studies: Matter, Meaning, Movement. She has taught food studies at collegial and university levels and currently holds the 2022-25 Carleton University Chair in Teaching Innovation.
Myriam Durocher, University of Amsterdam (she/her)
Event co-organizer
Myriam Durocher is a SSHRC funded postdoctoral researcher affiliated with the University of Amsterdam (Netherlands), in the Department of Anthropology (Health, Care and the Body Programme Group). Her research interests revolve around critically addressing the power relationships that are negotiated in Quebec/Canada’s food culture so as to initiate constructive change towards more just (more sustainable, inclusive, less normative) food cultures and food systems. Her current community-engaged research looks at the process of a Quebec food community group, the Regroupement des cuisines collectives du Québec, as it develops a framework bill on the right to food.
Tabitha Robin, University of British Columbia (she/her)
Event co-organizer
Tabitha Robin is a mixed ancestry Métis and Cree researcher, educator and writer. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems. Dr. Robin earned her PhD at the University of Manitoba, where she examined the role of food in Cree helping and healing practices. Her research explores the processes and practices of Indigenous food systems, particularly factors that affect Indigenous peoples’ food sovereignty.
Alannah Exelby (she/her)
Research Assistant
Alannah is in her final year of her Health Science undergraduate program at Carleton University, where her work is driven by a passion for community-based public health. In her work, she aims to integrate clinical and public health research to foster healthier, more equitable communities by addressing health disparities, including the unequal risk of food insecurity for different Canadian communities. Throughout her bachelor’s program, she has developed a strong interest particularly in epidemiology and knowledge mobilization. Her focus lies in applying epidemiological insights to create tailored health solutions within communities, utilizing knowledge mobilization methods. Eager to deepen her understanding of food justice advocacy and food insecurity across Canada, Alannah is excited to engage in conversations that will contribute positively to collective knowledge and action.
Annika Walsh (she/they)
Research Assistant – Event Coordinator and Creative Designer
Annika Walsh is an emerging transdisciplinary artist who works with food, cooking, and everything in between to further the notions of connectedness and togetherness. Annika completed a BFA with a specialization in Media at the University of Ottawa in 2022. This grounds Annika as an artist in their approach to academic research. Currently working on a Master’s of Science in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia, Annika is exploring the intersections of food, culture, and identity. Annika’s passion for all things food stems from their dedication to relational and embodied ways of knowing, especially in reference to cultural identity. Any moment to support the repairing, discussing, and bridging of food worlds is totally and completely up Annika’s alley.
Dania Asahi Ogie (she/her)
Research Assistant
Dania is a Master of Science in Planning student at the University of Toronto. During her schooling, she had the opportunity to work with FoodShare, a Toronto-based food justice organization. In particular, she worked with the Advocacy Team, which introduced her to the multifaceted and intersectional systemic barriers that existed in individuals accessing food in the City of Toronto. Combining her education in urban planning and the experience and knowledge gained at FoodShare, she grew increasingly interested in the relationship between urban spaces and food access. As a research assistant, Dania hopes to gain a deeper understanding of the landscape of food justice advocacy and the present state of food insecurity across Canada. She looks forward to listening and participating in the conversations that will form from the event.
Hanine El Mir (she/her)
Research Assistant
Hanine is a game designer who works for fun and plays for a living. As an avid activist first and an aspiring anthropologist more recently, she holds an MA in Social & Cultural Anthropology from Concordia University, a BA in English Literature and a BA in Media/Communications, with two minors in Film/Visual Studies and Arabic Language, from the American University of Beirut. Hanine is currently pursuing a PhD that looks at food insecurity in fishing simulators while teaching game making as a Game Incubator Coordinator at Pixelles. Her interest in food stability and accessibility shapes her life’s activities as a member of the Board of Directors of the People’s Potato and Concordia Food Coalition. In her free time, Hanine tends to a community garden, cooks at a vegan solidarity kitchen, and makes games which you can find here: https://arnabitakhdar.itch.io/
Madison (Madi) Hynes (she/her)
Research Assistant
Madison (Madi) Hynes is a PhD candidate in Social Psychology at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN). Her research interests lie in forensic and law psychology, and her current research project investigates what Canadian prospective jurors actually know or believe police interrogation and confessions, to determine whether laypeople know the contents of expert testimony on coerced confessions. When she’s not researching or reading up on coerced confessions, she is a part-time Program Assistant with Food First NL, a provincial non-profit organization whose mission is to advance the right to food in Newfoundland and Labrador. Within Food First NL, Madi leads the Rethinking Food Charity project, which was a year-long process to reimagine food charity in Newfoundland and Labrador through consultations with people with lived and living experience of food insecurity, food charity staff and volunteers, and other informed citizens through surveys, focus groups, and a large in-person gathering. The project culminated in a final report outlining 23 recommendations for the food charity sector, government, and systems-level organizations. The current phase of the project is focused on the implementation of these recommendations.