Students

CURRENT STUDENTS

PhD

Diane Dechief, University of Toronto

Patrick Derby, Queen’s University

Ariane Ellerbrok, University of Alberta

Antonio Gamba, University of Toronto

Stuart Hargreaves, University of Toronto

Iryna Matiyenko, University of Victoria

Brenda McPhail, University of Toronto

Adam Molnar, University of Victoria

Jeffrey Monaghan, Queen's University

Christopher Parsons, University of Victoria

Stephanie Perrin, University of Toronto

Sachil Singh, Queen's University

Harrison Smith, University of Toronto

Karen Louise Smith, University of Toronto

Ozgun Topak, Queen's University

Masters

Lauren Dimonte, University of Toronto

Jonathan Floyd, University of Toronto

Arndis Johnson, University of Toronto

Matt Zukowski, University of Toronto

Completed Students

Joseph Ferenbok, University of Toronto

Phil Boyle, University of Alberta

Martin French (completed February 2009)

Pablo Ouziel, University of Victoria (completed 2009)

Daniel Trottier (completed September 2010)

 

 

Diane Yvonne Dechief


Faculty of Information Studies, University of Toronto

My primary research interests include experiences of immigration and settlement for people who migrate to Canada, particularly interactions with state-led programs and institutions, and uses of the technological systems employed by the state. With the support of a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Fellowship (2007-2010) I am currently examining the causes and implications of immigration-influenced personal name changes in Canada. My MA thesis,"Recent Immigrants as an 'Alternate Civic Core': Providing Internet Services, Gaining Canadian Experiences" (2006) examined volunteerism amongst recent immigrants as a means of integration.

Patrick Derby

 

Department of Sociology, Queen’s University
Patrick Derby
Patrick Derby is currently a doctoral student at Queen’s University, and a student member of the Surveillance Project. He is also a member of the Surveillance Camera Awareness Network (SCAN). Patrick received his BA in Criminology (Honours) and Sociology (Concentration), as well as his MA in Criminology from the University of Ottawa. His MA thesis was entitled: “Interrogating the Selective Gaze of Canadian CCTV Operators: Perspectives From Behind the Camera’s Lens”. Patrick is currently interested in bringing the theoretical resources of Science and Technology Studies to bear on criminological understandings of contemporary crime control practices. He is currently monitoring the proliferation of video surveillance in taxis across Canada, as well as the use of licence plate recognition technologies in Canadian police cruisers.

Adam Molnar


University of Victoria

Adam Molnar is a PhD student in the Department of Political Science at the University of Victoria. His dissertation research focuses on surveillance, security and 'mega-events’, using the Vancouver 2010 Olympic games as an empirical case. His research examines, in particular, the
intersection between semiotic and political economic aspects of security and technology organizations. Other research interests include contemporary theories of social and political justice, media, politics & technology, and philosophy of science.

Jeffrey Monaghan

Queen's University

 

Jeffrey Monaghan is a PhD student in the Sociology Department at Queen's University and a student member of the New Transparency Project. Areas of research interest include policing and surveillance, (in)security processes, and the internationalization of surveillance and security 'best practices.' He completed an MA in the Law department at Carleton University, under the supervision of Dawn Moore. His thesis used archival materials to explore the 1880s surveillance and policing strategies of the North-West Mounted Police. He has published in journals such as Policing and Society, Alternatives, Social Movement Studies, and Upping the Anti.

Christopher Parsons

University of Victoria

I am interested in how privacy (particularly informational privacy, expressive privacy and accessibility privacy) is affected by digitally mediated surveillance, and the normative implications this has in contemporary Western political systems. My research currently focuses on the technologies that enable digitally mediated surveillance, such as deep packet inspection, behavioral advertising, and radio frequency identification, and how these technologies influence citizens in their decision to openly express themselves or engage in self-censoring behavior. My current thoughts and thinking can be found at my website, where I regularly write about current and developing technologies and practices as they relate to surveillance and privacy. This fall I will be starting my coursework and duties as a research assistant for IRSP 2.

Sachil Singh

Department of Sociology, Queen’s University

sachil

Sachil Singh is a PhD candidate at Queen's University, under the supervision of Dr David Lyon. Sachil received his Bachelor, Honours and Masters Degrees from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa. For these Degrees, he majored in Economics, Internet Studies, Economic History and Development Studies. His Masters thesis (completed in 2008) is titled "The Political Economy of Africa's Cyberspace". His ongoing interest in the relationships between technology and society has manifested in his current doctoral work for which he is researching the social consequences of credit-assessment technologies in South Africa. Sachil has published on the post-apartheid South African 'information society', and has a forthcoming chapter (co-authored with David Lyon) on the social effects of Amazon.com's data processing. Sachil is the organiser of the Surveillance Studies Centre (SSC) Seminar Series , which is held bi-monthly. For a more detailed personal biography, please click here

Email: sachil.singh[at]queensu.ca
Phone: 613-533-6000 ext. 75602
 

Ozgun E. Topak
Department of Sociology, Queen’s University

Ozgun Topak is a PhD student at Queen’s University. He received his previous degrees from Istanbul University (BA in Business Administration) and Middle East Technical University (MA in Sociology) in Turkey. He is broadly interested in how new surveillance mechanisms (e.g. e-government, electronic ID cards, databases) are tied to a complex set of power-knowledge and political rationalities within different social contexts (e.g. Turkey, European Union). His PhD project focuses on the implementation of database technology in European Union border management strategies and the consequences of this process on European citizenship. Among others, his work is particularly inspired by Foucauldian and Deleuzian political philosophy.
 

Email: sachilsingh@yahoo.com
Phone: 613-533-6000 ext. 75602

Karen Louise Smith


University of Toronto

Karen Louise Smith
Karen Smith
is a PhD student in the Faculty of Information and Knowledge Media Design Institute at the University of Toronto. Karen is broadly interested in information communication technologies (ICTs), citizenship, social inclusion and policy. Karen has worked in roles ranging from a web design intern with a human rights organization in the Philippines to a research assistant on initiatives concerning technology in Canadian policy contexts.

Ozgun E. Topak

Department of Sociology, Queen’s University

Ozgun Topak is a PhD student at Queen’s University. He received his previous degrees from Istanbul University (BA in Business Administration) and Middle East Technical University (MA in Sociology) in Turkey. He is broadly interested in how new surveillance mechanisms (e.g. e-government, electronic ID cards, databases) are tied to a complex set of power-knowledge and political rationalities within different social contexts (e.g. Turkey, European Union). His PhD project focuses on the implementation of database technology in European Union border management strategies and the consequences of this process on European citizenship. Among others, his work is particularly inspired by Foucauldian and Deleuzian political philosophy.

 

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