Email: ranubasu@yorku.ca
Ranu Basu
Ranu Basu is Professor of Geography at the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change (EUC), York University, and research faculty at the Centre for Refugee Studies (CRS). Her research and teaching interests relate to the geographies of marginality, diversity and social justice in cities; power, space and activism; anti-imperialism and post-colonial geographies; geopolitics of forced migration and subaltern cosmopolitanism; critical geographies of education; and spatial methodologies including critical GIS.
Her projects have explored the impacts of neoliberalization of educational restructuring in Ontario; ‘multiculturalism’ in schools; urbanization, social sustainability, public space and place-making practices among migrant communities; sub/urban/altern cosmopolitanism (in Scarborough, Ontario) as cities of integrative multiplicity in Toronto. Her current work explores geopolitical questions of forced displacement and the corresponding transformational dynamics of educational spaces in Cuba and India.
She is Principal Investigator in the SSHRC Insight Grant project (2015-2022) titled Subalterity, Education and Welfare Cities. The project historically traces the geopolitical impacts on cities and schools through questions of conflict and displacement in Havana, Toronto and Kolkata.
Laura Perez Gonzalez
Project Coordinator
Laura Perez Gonzalez holds a Master’s in Development Studies from York University in Toronto, Canada and is the Project Coordinator of Geopolitics of Education for Peace (GEP). Her research focused on youth development, second-chance education, and gender in Grenada through a postcolonial lens. Her ongoing research interests encompass the importance of critical and intersectional approaches to education and international development, and community engagement and inclusion processes in these areas. Her regions of focus include the Caribbean, Africa, Latin America, and Canada. She has worked with organizations across these regions and and is involved in The Rights for Children and Youth Partnership research projects.
Laura Perez Gonzalez tiene una Maestría en Estudios de Desarrollo de la Universidad de York en Toronto, Canadá y es la coordinadora de Geopolítica de Educación para la Paz . Su investigación se centró en el desarrollo de la juventud, la educación de segunda oportunidad, y el género en Grenada a través de una lente poscolonial. Sus intereses de investigación abarcan la importancia de los enfoques críticos e interseccionales de la educación y el desarrollo internacional, y los procesos de participación e inclusión de la comunidad en estas áreas. Sus regiones de enfoque incluyen el Caribe, África, América Latina y Canadá. Ha trabajado con organizaciones en estas regiones y está involucrada en los proyectos de investigación de The Rights for Children and Youth Partnership.
Email: laurapg@yorku.ca
Email: juliangc@yorku.ca
Julián Gutiérrez Castaño
Dr. Julián Gutiérrez Castaño has recently completed his Ph.D. in Human Geography
(2022) at York University. He holds a MA in Human Geography from York University and
a BA/Teaching Degree in Ethnoeducation and Community Development from Pereira
Technological University. He has experience working in popular education, human
rights and peace work, and university education.
Tamires da Silva
Tamires holds an MA from the Development Studies program at York University, with a research focus on popular education, necropolitics, and urban spatiality in Sao Paulo, Brazil. She completed her B.A in Liberal Arts, Concentration in International Studies from Soka University of America. During her undergraduate studies, she worked as a research assistant analysing the formation of racial constructs in Brazil and their role in sustaining current socioeconomic issues. Tamires is a twice recipient of the Luis and Linda Nieves Family Foundation Grant, first traveling to Ghana with her research team to examine historical commemorations of slavery, and later, to the Amazon in Brazil to learn about the successes and challenges of its universal health care system. During her junior year, she studied abroad in Senegal, taking theoretical and practical classes on development in West Africa and interning at a local organization teaching English and science to children. She is one of the founders of the Black Student Union at Soka University, and is interested in social justice, decolonization and development in the context of the black experience around the world.
Email: tamicris@yorku.ca
Email: cko@yorku.ca
Connie Ko
Dr. Connie Ko is an adjunct faculty member and research associate at York University. She graduated her doctorate from Department of Earth and Space Science and Engineering at Lassonde School of Engineering, York University. Connie has 13 years of LiDAR data experience and her current research interest involves the development and application of 3D object detection with LiDAR data using deep learning.
Aysha Shamsuddin
Aysha is an international development researcher with nearly a decade of experience working with grass root level nonprofits and academic institutions across India and Canada. As a researcher, Aysha has made critical contributions towards various research initiatives on poverty alleviation, Right to Information (RTI), transnational migration and women and sustainable development. Aysha is currently completing her MA in Gender Feminist and Women’s Studies at York University. Her current research interests include but are not limited to feminist frameworks in international development, feminism and sustainability, collective action, decolonization in international development, transnational feminisms, social policies. Being a nature enthusiast, during her free time Aysha enjoys outdoor activities with her 18-month-old daughter and her two cats.
Email: ayshas@yorku.ca
Arnab Mazumder
Arnab holds a BSc and MSc in Geography and Environment from Shahjalal University of Science & Technology, Bangladesh. His research has explored environmental degradation and adaptation strategies, with a focus on the Rohingya refugee community. With nearly five years of professional experience in the international NGO sector, Arnab has worked with marginalized communities, leading development projects that align with the SDGs, particularly in poverty alleviation, quality education, economic growth, and climate action. His current research centers on the challenges faced by the nomadic Bede community of Bangladesh, where he investigates their social exclusion, climate resilience, and policy gaps. Arnab’s work aims to explore how environmental factors, such as flooding and erosion, exacerbate the vulnerabilities of these communities. His research ultimately seeks to inform more inclusive and effective policies that enhance the resilience of vulnerable populations to climate change.