Graduate Students

Pratyusha comes to the Environmental Policy Program from the University of Ottawa where she did a Bachelor’s in International Development and Global Studies. Her research interests include food security in coastal communities. In the past, she has worked with Global Affairs and Environment Canada in Ottawa and completed internships in India and Germany.

Before moving to Newfoundland, she was teaching English and French internationally. In her free time, she loves to cook, hike, and play board games. She is looking forward to exploring everything Newfoundland has to offer!

Mohammad (Mo) Chehreh Ghani is a current graduate student and graduate research assistant at the Environmental Policy Institute of Grenfell Campus, Memorial University. He is a young researcher in the field of environmental law and policy. He has always been passionate about solving complex social-environmental issues by integrating diverse areas of studies, legal analysis of themes, and policy evaluation. Mo has an intense passion for environmental-related governmental and intergovernmental policy-making processes.

Mo completed his Bachelor’s studies in Forestry in his home country, Iran. He then did his Master’s degree (MSc) in forestry and environmental law in Turkey and lived there for seven years. During his graduate studies at Istanbul University, he focused on sustainable forest management policy and its legal aspects. He advanced his skills in reading and analyzing environmental laws and court cases in Turkey and the intergovernmental level.

Mo is a frequent traveller! He joined United Nations Climate Change Conferences (COP23 and SB48) in Bonn, Germany, to represent International Forestry Students’ Association (IFSA). Later, he got the opportunity to attend the European Forestry Institute 2019 annual conference in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Mo is also creative! He recently won the runner-up prize in the Dr. Jose Lam Start-Up Event (2021) in Grenfell Campus, Memorial University. In between his studies, you may catch him out for a hike, swimming, or you might find him socializing at the university events!

LinkedIn Profile:

linkedin.com/in/mohammad-chehreh-ghani-319901127

Oluwaseyi Awosiyan has a Bachelor of Science degree in Entrepreneurship from Osun State University, Nigeria, and a certificate for a short course on “Leading Change through Policy Making,” co-organized by the British Council and the University of Cambridge, United Kindgom. She is currently an MAEP student at Memorial University, focusing on the role of social enterprise in environmental sustainability. Besides her academic qualification, Oluwaseyi has apprenticed as a tie-dye designer. Combining her academic and apprenticeship experiences, she has developed strong sustainability skills. She has worked as a sustainable skills trainer for Nigerian and international organizations, including Osun State University, National Youth Service Corps and Community Sustainability Global. Also, she worked as an assistant with the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria. Going forward, she is interested in learning more about global sustainability and applying her skills to enhance it. Career-wise, she hopes to become a sustainable enterprise consultant.

Laura Stern is a current graduate student at the Environmental Policy Institute of Grenfell Campus, Memorial University. She holds a BA in Honours Environment, Resources and Sustainability, minor in International Development and diploma in Environmental Assessment from the University of Waterloo.

Before coming to Newfoundland, Laura worked as an environmental assessment consultant for the federal government. At Grenfell, her research interests include impact assessment and water governance. Laura works with the Rural Resilience Research Group on drinking water challenges facing rural and remote communities within Newfoundland and Labrador. She is also a member of the Coastal Connections podcast team, an initiative that shares stories of environmental resilience and adaptation from across Atlantic Canada. When she’s not writing reports or conducting research, Laura can be found running and hiking the trails of Gros Morne National Park!

Research Engagement:

https://coastalroutes.org/coastal-connections

http://ruralresilience.ca/researchers/mun/students/laura-stern/

Marcel Clift is based out of St. John’s, Newfoundland. Prior to joining the Master of Environmental Policy program, Marcel completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. Marcel studied Public Policy at the MUN Harlow Campus in the U.K. under Dr. Chris Dunn. He studied Economic Public Policy in 2018 before coming to the MAEP program.

Marcel’s research involves green energy production with special consideration to tidal power generation.

Marcel enjoys following politics (especially international relations) and hiking, backpacking, fishkeeping, time at the cabin, playing with his 2 children and snowboarding.

Paige Percy (she/her) is from and currently based out of Toledo, Ontario. Prior to joining the Master of Environmental Policy Program, Paige completed her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Science, Philosophy, and International Politics. During her time at Mount Allison, Paige also studied abroad at the City University of Hong Kong, focusing on environmental politics and policy.

Under the supervisor of Dr. Roza Tchoukaleyska, Paige’s thesis research will explore rural/urban public space activism, agrarian actors and populism. More broadly, Paige’s research interests are gender, accessible policy, and conceptualization/categorization of topics.

Paige is an extremely active community member and volunteer. Paige is alumni of the YWCA’s National Young Women’s Leadership Program 2019/2020 Cohort, the 2019 Daughters of the Vote Delegation, New Brunswick’s Cross-Cultural Youth Project, and Shake Up the Establishment’s Mover and Shakers Program. Currently, Paige is a youth speaker with Plan International Canada, a youth member of Alliance Canada Hong Kong, and an active member in the YWCA Community advocating for gender equality.

In 2020 alone, Paige was the recipient of the Ian Webb Scholarship, Mount Allison’s Political Science Departmental Award, and Mount Allison’s Student Leadership Pin. Furthermore, in 2020 Paige has been published with the Atlantic International Studies Organization Journal (ATLIS) and the Journal of Librarianship & Information Science.

Paige is an admitted politics fanatic (see fake picture with Bernie Sanders), but in her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her friends, listening to music and has recently taken up sewing in hopes of wearing her own creations by the time the pandemic is over.

Tasha Olekshy comes to the MA Environmental Policy program with a Diploma in Environmental Technology and a Bachelor of Science Degree (Biology) from universities in Victoria, BC and Brandon, MB. Prior to coming to Memorial University, she also enjoyed working in environmental sustainability positions with municipal, provincial, and federal governments across Canada. Tasha’s research at Memorial University is centered around Green Recovery public policy to address ‘building back better’ in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When not working or studying, you’ll find Tasha cooking her favourite foods (dumplings! curry! snickerdoodles!), cycling, woodworking, playing the ukulele poorly, and using the Oxford comma.

Michelle Saunders is an Inuk woman from Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador. After completing her BSc in Biology (Ecology and Conservation) through Memorial University in 2018, Michelle was awarded the Labrador Institute International Indigenous Internship travelling to Finland and Norway to work with University of the Arctic and the Arctic Council Indigenous Peoples’ Secretariat. Upon returning to her home in Goose Bay, she worked with the Torngat Wildlife, Plants and Fisheries Secretariat researching the intersection of birds and Indigenous knowledge.

With a passion for incorporating Indigenous knowledge into Western science systems, Michelle is continuing her work to center Indigenous voices for ptarmigan co-management in Nunatsiavut. Michelle is in the two-year thesis program and is supervised by Dr. Stephen Decker with partnerships with the Nunatsiavut Government and Torngat Secretariat.

In her free time, you can find Michelle snowshoeing, skiing, hiking and doing anything outdoors with her dog, Zuri

Naznin Sultana, originally from Bangladesh. Now, doing Master’s as well as working as a Research Assistant in Environmental Policy Institute at Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada. Her current research focused on food security and sustainability in Bangladesh. She also completed a successful internship with WEC (Western Environmental Centre) as a researcher and the topic of the research was “Corporate Business Sustainability Audits in Newfoundland and Labrador” in summer, 2019. She is interested both in qualitative and quantitative social research and recently working on food security, sustainability, agroforestry, fisheries and aquaculture. At Grenfell campus Naznin finished to work as a research assistant in two projects one on efficient aquaculture techniques comparing close containment and open production system and one on sustainability values in fish harvesting.

Before this she was completed her Bachelors and Masters from a Public University (University of Rajshahi) in Bangladesh and her major course was Economics. She has four publications in international journals and two publications is in national (Bangladeshi) Journals. She has also experience of presenting her research paper in different conferences held at Bangladesh.

Tithy Dev is from Bangladesh, a graduate student at the Environmental Policy Institute of Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland. She holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in Economics from the University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Her research interest is in food security, renewable energy, climate change, urbanization, and economic development. Her master’s thesis is on an empirical analysis of urbanization on energy consumption in the SARRC countries.

Skylar Skinner is from Ramea, an island on the south coast of Newfoundland. He has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Grenfell Campus of Memorial University, and is continuing his studies at Grenfell to achieve a Masters in Environmental Policy.

Skylar has a passion for geography, renewable energy, and environmental protection and has also developed a desire to solving issues related to wildlife, especially in his home province. He is currently focussing his research on Assessing motivations and success in river restoration in Newfoundland and Labrador: A survey of under the supervision of Dr. Stephen Decker. This project focusses on motivations and success measures of salmon rivers in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, which is funded by the Atlantic Salmon Federation.

Skylar is set on encouraging environmental protection and sustainability wherever he goes and is looking forward to using his education in promoting these concepts in his home community and province.

Amanda D. Affram is from Ghana, West Africa. She has a Bachelors’s degree in Geography and Resource Development with Psychology from the University of Ghana. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree, she worked with a market and social research firm in Ghana for four years. She is currently pursuing her thesis-based MA Environmental Policy program with Memorial University. Her research interest is in climate change, agriculture, and food security.

Her Master’s thesis is on Indigenous small-scale farmers’ knowledge, adaptation, and perception of climate change.

My name is Samantha Young and I am a Thesis based student in the Environmental Policy Masters program here at Grenfell. A large amount of my research has been on food security and sovereignty as well as the ability of foodways to help build and sustain community development. I have been living in the beautiful West Coast of Newfoundland for the last 5 years and have loved having so much nature right outside my doorstep. Most of my research interests continue to revolve around community resilience in generally rural areas of Newfoundland.

Ali Mujahid is from Lahore, Pakistan. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management with Law from the University of London. He has extensive experience working in a corporate environment, working for Pakistan State Oil for almost a decade. His research and career interests are renewable energy, energy transitions, climate change skepticism, policy making and environmental justice.

Genevieve Kuntu Blankson is from Ghana, West Africa. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Development Planning from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi-Ghana. She served as a Teaching and Research Assistant at the Department of Planning, KNUST, after graduating in 2017. She has acquired some work experience in Community Development, Advocacy, and Engagement. She is currently in her first year in the Master of Environmental Policy program. Her research and career interest are on Climate Change, Sustainable Community Development, Governance, and Social Policy. Genevieve is very passionate about development-environment nexus, and hence, her thesis focuses on Reviewing Municipal Climate Adaptation Plan. She looks forward to equipping herself with the needed skills to contribute to environmentally sound development.

Jackie-Ray Bauman is a current graduate student at the Environmental Policy Institute of Grenfell Campus, Memorial University. Prior to this, she graduated with a BA in Environmental Governance from the University of Guelph, the place where she was born and raised. Growing up on a farm made her recognize how much we are influenced by our environmental conditions. Her travels abroad to work and study in the Caribbean, South America, and Australia have allowed her to appreciate the different ways that people depend on their environment and how important community structures are for connecting us with nature. Throughout her undergraduate studies, she developed her interest in resource dependant communities, sustainable livelihoods and biodiversity conservation. After travelling to the East coast of Canada on a quest to visit as many national parks as she could, she knew where her heart was when she put her feet in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. While spotting a number of different whale and marine bird species, her passion grew for marine conservation. She is inspired by stewardship that occurs at the local level and how this can strengthen the community structure while contributing to a larger purpose for conservation. Her research interests at Grenfell have centered around coastal communities in Newfoundland that have taken an active role in governing marine resources and conserving the health of marine ecosystems. Specifically, she is investigating local initiatives along the Western coast that may contribute to the establishment of formal marine protection. Her research will be mobilized by the Coastal Routes network, which seeks to share knowledge between coastal communities that are innovating to become more resilient in the face of environmental changes. In between her studies, you may catch her out for a run, hike, bike ride, or you might find her volunteering in the community!

Rasheed was born and raised in Walewale, Northern Ghana. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Development Planning from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana, where he received practical training in rural and regional strategic planning, implementation and management. He is a seasoned research assistant and has a wealth of skills and experience in rural community planning and development. His research interests are in renewable energy, climate change and sustainable rural and urban development. Under the supervision of Dr. Garrett Richards, Rasheed is working to complete his thesis on Small-Scale Renewable Energy Development in rural and off-grid communities in Newfoundland. He is working towards a career where he could contribute to knowledge and the sustainable development of communities in Ghana and beyond.

Edward Asante is a Ghanaian with a bachelors degree in Land Economy from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana. He is currently a first year student in the MAEP program with the focus on exploring environmental issues related to the modern society. Edward has strong quantitative skills and well-oriented which placed him in the position as a Teaching and Research Assistant in the Department of Land Economy, KNUST in 2017. He has taught students throughout his academic journey and is passionate about teaching and research. Climate change, natural resource extraction issues, and real estate finance are his academic interests. Edward is goal driven and optimistic of becoming a professor in the next few years, given his focus on transitioning into a PhD program after his masters degree.

Anastasia Addai is from Ghana, West Africa. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Education (Geography) from the Catholic University College of Ghana, and currently pursuing her masters in Environmental Policy at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada.

Anastasia taught Geography at Asanteman Senior High School in Ghana, initially as a teacher intern, and later as a full-time teacher after her studies. She has a passion for Geography and related disciplines, including Environmental Sustainability and resource management.

She is currently focusing her research on ‘the Synthesis and Evaluation of Stream Restoration Projects in Newfoundland and Labrador” under the supervision of Dr Stephen Decker. This research project is focused on exploring metrics of success and conservation outcomes in Stream restoration effort in Newfoundland and Labrador, which is funded by the Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation.

Anastasia is looking forward to doing much to promote environmental sustainability through the knowledge acquired from Environmental Policy.

Tasrick Araf is from Bangladesh, a Master’s student at the Environmental Policy Institution, Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Fisheries and Masters degree in Fish Biology and Genetics (FBG) from Sylhet Agricultural University. His research interest in fisheries, sustainable fisheries, well being of coastal communities, climate change and adaptation on fisheries sectors.

Mr. Ignatius K. Yankey is a recipient of my awards and distinctions. He was recently awarded the Dr. Noreen Golfman Graduate Fellowship, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada. He holds a Master of Arts in International Relations from Hacettepe University (HU), Ankara-Turkey. He was a recipient of the Turkish government scholarship. With which, he successfully graduated with a close to perfect GPA in International Relations. He is a first-class student with honors from the University of Ghana. He studied sociology and archeology at his bachelors level. Leadership is a great and evident strength for Mr. Yankey.

As a student leader, Mr. Yankey served as the Deputy Speaker of Legon Hall Congress of the Junior Common Room (JCR) and a member of the Maintenance Committee of the JCR. He has held several positions and mentored lots of his peers and other students. Also, he has served diligently with passion in many capacities, for instance, as the Coordinating head of the African Students Representative (H U- Ankara). A Coordinating member of the Ghanaian Students in Turkey.

Mr. Yankey got a passion for studying Environmental policy when his MA-International relations led him into natural resources and environmental politics. His academic interests lie in global leadership and international relations, fossil fuel reduction, climate change, energy security and transition, fisheries sustainability, water politics, and climate diplomacy. As an Energy Security expert and Hydro-politician, he presented a paper on “Ghana’s Energy and Great Powers Interest” in the Center for Africa Strategic Studies (AFSAM)- Turkey. His peer-reviewed publications include Yankey, I. K. (2019). Ghana’s Water Relations With Burkina Faso: Hydropolitical Standpoint (Master’s thesis) published by the Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Ankara-Turkey, and Yankey, Ignatius. (2018). The Arab Spring in The Arab World: Is Islamism a Factor? A Case Study of Tunisia. Journal of Social Science Research, 12(2), 2819-2827.

He also enjoys influencing political and policy decisions using his writing skills through the online media. He is the founder and international coordinator for SOMPA-GHANA. Currently, he is the Global chief liaison officer (Africa) & Acting head of research—Youth Employment & entrepreneurship of the Young Politician and Leaders Network (YPLN). He loves sports (rugby and football) and listening to African music.

Lukas Bosch, originally from New Brunswick, but having lived in almost every province across Canada, now calls Newfoundland and Labrador home while he is finishing his thesis for his M.A. in Environmental Policy at Grenfell Campus, under the supervision of Dr. Roza Tchoukaleyska. He holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC). His research interests relate to neoliberal Canadian mining development in Latin America, transnational imperialism, environmental (in)justice, and rural resilience in Latin America. His undergraduate thesis focused on evaluating the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policies of Canadian transnational mining companies in Chile from an environmental justice framework.

Lukas’ advice to prospective graduate students is to be open to change during graduate studies, as his master’s research has taken multiple turns during his two years at Grenfell.

His research began looking into water governance and privatization, and the intersection between how Canadian mining development in the Huasco Valley of Chile has affected local water scarcity. From there, his topic shifted to an ethnography of Chilean anti-mining activists, and how neoliberal Canadian mining development has shaped activist identities. Prior to traveling to Chile to conduct his ethnographic fieldwork, his research plans had to drastically change due to the massive civil uprising which swept across Chile in late 2019/2020. Months later, Lukas’ new research took him to Spain where he sought to do similar ethnographic research into Spanish activist identities resulting from neoliberal Canadian mining development, but his research was once again suddenly cut short due to the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. Currently, he is back in Canada and now doing research on a historical discourse analysis on Canadian neoliberalism and mining development in Chile and how public discourse on the issue has changed over time.

Besides his research, Lukas has completed his internship with the Canadian Forest Service in the summer of 2019 and has collaborated with local municipalities on research projects relating to community planning, economic development, and public engagement. He has co-published an article with his supervisor relating to social enterprise and philanthropy on Fogo Island Newfoundland and has presented his research at the 2019 Aldrich Conference in St. John’s, as well as the 2019 Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG) held in Winnipeg Manitoba.

Mohammad Nazrul Islam is a graduate of the Master of Arts degree in Environmental Policy from Memorial University, Grenfell Campus, and completed his undergraduate degree in Sociology in Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh. Currently, he is working on renewable energy and rural community resilience. His research interest includes renewable energy, rural sustainable development, wetland and community based resource management, climate change and adaptation, food security and tourism. He also did three academic research projects (Thesis, Senior Project and Research Monograph, respectively) on “Sedimentation and Coping Strategy”, “Community Based Wetland Resource Management and Food Security”, and Eco-tourism and Development. Nazrul has worked with different research organizations and NGOs as a researcher related to these topics. He has also presented at different conferences and workshop associated with sustainable development, food security and governance in different countries.

nazrulsust05@gmail.com

Rumbi was born and raised in Zimbabwe. She graduated with a BSc in Environmental Science (Chemistry) with a focus on aquatic and analytical chemistry from Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland in 2013. Her personal experiences with, and knowledge of water insecurity issues in her home country, led Rumbi to explore water related issues in Canada and in Newfoundland specifically; thus, with the help of her supervisor, she was able to conduct her undergraduate thesis on arsenic in groundwater and its implications for rural Newfoundland communities.

Upon graduating, Rumbi spent a few years working in Fort McMurray, Alberta for a non-profit organisation that was dedicated to helping homeless adults within the community. During this period, she learned about the water-related injustices that many First Nations communities across Canada have been facing over the years from her clients as well as other Housing First advocates.

She then made the decision to return to school to further her education and to learn about the policy aspects of water issues. Now under the supervision of Dr. Kelly Vodden and Dr. Wade Bowers, Rumbi will be conducting her graduate research on collaborative water governance within the province, drawing upon the experiences of the community of Burgeo.

rkanyangarara@grenfell.mun.ca

I am from Queretaro, Mexico and completed my Bachelor of Arts in Economics and International Finances at Universidad Marista de Queretaro. After graduating, I received funding from the Queretaro Government to study at The Washington Center in the Governor’s Program where I coursed Public Policy Seminar and Projects Analysis Seminar; and found my interest in public policy. Within a year of finishing at TWC, I decided to go for my graduate studies. After some research, I found this unique program in North America and decided to come to Memorial University of Newfoundland, Grenfell Campus.

My research interest is in sustainable development, especially but not limited to the environment-human interaction. The Environmental Policy Institute has given me the committed staff and required tools to develop myself in research.

Check out the International Student Newsletter, Student Spotlight http://www.grenfell.mun.ca/student-services/international/Documents/November2013Newletter.pdf