Advising & Mentoring

I feel deeply privileged to work with and advise some excellent students at the University of Toronto (UofT). Through collaborative research projects and service for professional organizations, I have also had the opportunity to mentor students and emerging scholars at other institutions. I recognize that academia and academic practices tend to uphold socio-economic inequalities. Therefore, I strive to center diversity, equity, and inclusion in my advising and mentoring to ensure that students of all backgrounds feel welcome in my research group and supported in their pursuit of success.

Student advising

Environmental Planning Concentration Adviser, Master of Science in Planning (M.Sc.Pl.) program, University of Toronto (Fall 2021 – present)

Graduate student supervision

Doctoral students

Vineetha Nalla (Ph.D. student, Planning, co-supervisor)
Florence Udenby (Ph.D. candidate, Civil and Mineral Engineering, committee member)
Luisa Duarte Milani (Ph.D. candidate, Planning, committee member)

Master’s students

Note: All Master of Science in Planning (MSc.Pl.) students complete an independent capstone project in their second year called the ‘Current Issues Paper’ (CIP). Please get in touch if you would like to access copies of student CIPs. I also serve on the Master’s committees of students in other disciplines.

In progress:

Kevin Joseph (Master of Applied Science, co-supervisor)

2023-24:

Maheen Khalid (MSc.Pl., CIP Supervisor), Municipal green stormwater infrastructure maintenance policies in the Greater Toronto Area
Emily Majeed (MSc.Pl., CIP Supervisor), Impact of heatwaves on low-income racialized immigrants in Brampton.
Allison Oki (MSc.Pl., CIP Supervisor), Identification of strategies to improve the energy efficiency of schools in the Toronto District School Board.
Lidiya Beida (M.A. in Geography, Committee Member), Women’s artisan livelihoods, networks of care and multi-sitedness among the Shipibo-Konibo in the Ucayali, Peruvian Amazon.

2022-23:

Sarah Mackinnon (MSc.Pl., CIP Supervisor), Assessing Urban Flood Risk and Mitigation Policies for Public Transit in Toronto. [Next: Associate Environmental Planner, WSP Canada].
Lauren Foote (MSc.Pl., CIP Supervisor), Countering Ableism in Flood Resilient Green Corridors. [Next: Project Manager in the Healthy Waters Partnership, City of Vancouver].
Yu-Chen Chuang (MSc.Pl., CIP Supervisor), A Case Study of Riverine Flood Mitigation in Rockcliffe-Smythe, Toronto. [Next: Ph.D. student, Geography, Pennsylvania State University].

2021-22:

Rameez Sadafal (M.Sc.Pl., CIP Supervisor), An examination of inter-agency planning practices on the Niagara Escarpment. [Next: Policy Intern, Niagara Escarpment Commission].
Chun Fu (Michael) Liu (M.Sc.Pl., CIP Supervisor), A spatial-temporal analysis of landcover changes in Toronto’s Major Transit Station Areas (MTSAs). [Next: Planning and Development Assistant, Amdev Toronto].
Jayne Armstrong (M.Sc.Pl. CIP, second reader).

Undergraduate students

Note: I supervise UofT undergraduate research through four streams: (i) GGR 499: Independent Research (a 4^th year elective course for geography majors), (ii) Research Opportunities Program (ROP) which is open to all eligible FAS students, (iii) Summer Research Internships, and (iv) University of Toronto Excellence Award (UTEA) program.

Shruti Agarwal (ROP, Supervisor, Summer 2023)
Nicole Gordon (UTEA, Co-Supervisor with Robert Soden, Summer 2023)
William Wynne (ROP, Supervisor, Summer 2022)
Mika Vyas (ROP, Supervisor, Summer 2022)
Eileen Murray (ROP, Supervisor, Summer 2022). Read more about Eileen’s research here.
Lianne Harrison (ROP, Supervisor, Summer 2022).
Ananmay Sharan (Summer intern, 2022).
Sijie Dong (GGR 499, Supervisor, Winter 2022).

Prospective students

I welcome inquiries from prospective students seeking to pursue their graduate studies in Geography and/ or Planning at the University of Toronto. If you are an MSc.Pl. applicant, you need not contact a prospective supervisor prior to applying. However, if you are an M.A. in Geography or a Ph.D. in Geography or Planning applicant, you are strongly encouraged to contact your potential supervisor before applying. Given the high volume of inquiries that I receive each application cycle, I am only able to respond to students whose research statements directly align with my research program and interests. Please go through my research projects and publications to learn more about my current research interests and areas of expertise.

Each admitted graduate student is expected to develop and execute their own independent research program with mentorship from myself and their supervisory committee. They will have opportunities to get involved in my research program through collaborations and funded research assistantships. Admission decisions are made by a Departmental Admissions Committee, which conducts a holistic review of each applicant’s research statement, grades, awards, publications, experiences, and the quality of their research statement. They also consider the availability of a potential supervisor, so, do feel free to reach out if you foresee an alignment with my research interests. I highly encourage prospective M.A. and Ph.D. applicants to develop a research statement before contacting me. More information about the application process and other tips can be found here.

If you are already a student at UofT and would like to collaborate and/ or have me join your graduate committee, please email me.