I have a doctorate in sociology and feminist studies from the University of Minnesota (1998). After getting my PhD, I spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow at the Population Studies Centre at the University of Pennsylvania.

I received the Faculty of Arts' annual Research Excellence Award three times, as assistant, associate and full professor, and served four years as the associate chair of the sociology department with responsibility for graduate programs from 2016 to 2020. I was the recipient of the annual Cecile MacTaggart Travel Award for Narrative Writing in 2019, and was longlisted for The New Quarterly's annual Edna Staebler Award for Creative Nonfiction in 2021. In 2020-2021, I was a Killam Annual Professor at the University of Alberta.

My earlier education consisted of a bachelor's degree in English literature (McGill University) and a master's degree in educational policy (also McGill).

I have lived and worked in eight cities since I was 18, and have done research in six African countries.

You can find my complete CV here.