RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION:
Environmental risks, disasters, and climate-related hazards do not impact all communities equally. My research focuses on understanding and addressing the disproportionate risks faced by marginalized and socioeconomically vulnerable populations, particularly those with limited coping capacities, histories of displacement, and ongoing experiences of exclusion and marginalization. I investigate how social, economic, and racial inequalities shape exposure to natural hazards and influence communities’ resilience to climate change.
A core element of my work is the development of a Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) tailored for Canadian regions. This tool serves as a decision-support mechanism to evaluate and map place-based disparities across census geographies, illuminating the underlying social constructs that influence climate risk and resilience. A key example of the transformative impact of my work is the integration of my research methodologies into the development of the Canadian Index of Social Resilience (CISR) and the Canadian Index of Social Vulnerability (CISV) mapping tools, released by Statistics Canada and the Government of Canada. These tools are built directly upon my doctoral research and are now being used to support policy development, emergency preparedness, and community resilience planning across the country. By integrating high-resolution geospatial data on residential flood hazard exposure and probabilistic seismic risk exposure with socioeconomic, demographic, and racial/ethnic indicators, I have advanced methodologies for risk hotspot identification that inform targeted disaster risk reduction and emergency preparedness planning.
My contributions emphasize intersectional, equity-centered analysis through data-driven Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) and systemic inequality assessments. This approach supports the development of inclusive, evidence-based public policies that are responsive to the needs of the most at-risk communities. My scholarship addresses critical gaps in distributive environmental justice research, helping to shape more equitable and resilient policy responses to the climate crisis.
