Meet our staff and Research Assistants

Our staff and research assistants are drawn from our project partners

Project staff

Sara Ono
Project Manager, TMU
Sara Ono is an undergraduate student in the School of Professional Communication at TMU. She is currently working as a research assistant for Dr. Frauke Zeller, examining themes such as Responsible/Ethical Artificial Intelligence and Human-Robot Interaction. Sara has also worked for Dr. Nathaniel Laywine as a research assistant in Humanitarian/Activist Communication and Student Global Media Usage.
Sara’s academic interests pertain to examining the relationship between Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and social structures of power/control. She is also a student at the Chang School of Continuing Education, completing a certificate in Data Analytics, Big Data, and Predictive Analytics.
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Katarina Sabados
Project Manager, GJIL

Katarina is an experienced researcher and reporter with a background in investigative journalism. She has worked on several cross-border teams, bringing her expertise in OSINT research and visual journalism to important projects on financial crimes, the extractive sector, land grabs, housing, and climate issues. Her reporting has appeared in The World from PRX, THIS Magazine, The Tyee, NBC News, Canada’s National Observer, The Global Reporting Centre, OCCRP, GIJN, and The Toronto Star.

In addition to her investigative reporting background, Katarina has worked on numerous audio productions as a researcher, field producer, and fact-checker. Her podcast work includes About the Journey by Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, goop x Audible, On China’s New Silk Road, and more.
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Camila Castaneda
Project Manager, GJIL (on leave)
Camila Castaneda is a Salvadoran designer and journalist. Her background is in corporate communications, marketing and graphic design. She worked at the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST) as one of their Marketing Coordinators.
Camila earned her BA in Graphic and Communication Design at the University of Leeds (UK) and her MA in Journalism at the University of British Columbia (Canada). During her master's degree, she contributed as a research assistant in the development of the Global Journalism Innovation Lab's website.
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Research Assistants

Masahda Lochan-Aristide
Masahda Lochan-Aristide is a recent Graduate from Toronto Metropolitan School of Journalism. She is a former Communications Intern at the Canadian Environmental Law Association and a current Research Assistant focusing on gathering and analyzing data surrounding community based journalism in Toronto.
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Mykenzie Barrera
Mykenzie Barrera is an M.A Thesis student in Communication at the University of Ottawa. She studied communication and received a Honours Bachelor of Arts from McMaster University. Now she is a research assistant of the Pol Comm Tech Lab and Centre for Law, Technology and Society under Elizabeth Dubois’ supervision.
Mykenzie’s lab-based works include working on the Wonks and War Rooms podcast dedicated to communication theories and concepts and is actively working on her thesis surrounding the intersections between Social Media Influencer and Journalists on social media platforms.
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Michelle Bartleman
Michelle Bartleman (MJ, Carleton University) is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Communication at the University of Ottawa, where her research focuses on artificial intelligence and journalism, in particular the uptake of automated textual content production at mainstream news media outlets in Canada.
She holds a Master of Journalism and previously worked as bilingual multimedia reporter at a number of Canadian news outlets. She is a research assistant with the uOttawa’s Pol Comm Tech Lab, where she is contributor to the Global Journalism Innovation Lab (GJIL), and co-author of a new report, The Political Uses of AI in Canada. She also leads research on data literacy in news media at uOttawa’s newly created Data Literacy Research Institute.
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Alia Azmi
Alia Azmi is a PhD candidate at the Queensland University of Technology Digital Media Research Centre and School of Communication. Her PhD research, Mapping Online Conversations about Sexual Violence in Indonesia, is part of the Global Journalism Innovation Lab project, which focuses on approaches to social media activism and digital journalism.
Alia’s field of interest is online discourse in movements on global issues, political polarisation on social media, and the dynamics of political Islam in women’s issues. She has written articles about Indonesian politicians’ social media use, media construction of reality, and student online movement against sexual violence.
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Evie Morris-Newell
Evie Morris-Newell is a research assistant at Queensland University of Technology's Digital Media Research Centre. She analyses polarisation in Australian news media, with a focus on climate change and the Voice to Parliament debate. She is currently an advertising and film student at the same institution, and has a strong interest in the creation of powerful messages.
Manish Gupta
Manish Gupta is a research assistant at the Digital Media and Research Center at Queensland University of Technology. Currently pursuing his studies in digital communication, he has extensive experience in marketing and communications.
Thet Zin Myint
T is a graduate student at Queensland University of Technology studying digital communication. Her background is in digital media planning (advertising). However, her experience of conflicts in Myanmar sharpened her interest in conflict, politics and social issues on digital platforms.
Vidya Kannappan
Vidya Kannappan holds a Master's degree in Digital Communications from the Queensland University of Technology, where she also serves as a research assistant. Her research centres on news polarisation, exploring how it unfolds across various contexts and topics. Vidya has a keen interest in the dynamic interplay between technology and society, examining how each influences and shapes the other.
Marisa Sittheeamorn
Marisa Sittheeamorn is currently a graduate intern with The Conversation and a research assistant at the Global Journalism Innovation Lab. She is in the process of completing her Master of Journalism at the University of British Columbia and holds a B.A. in Political Science and Rhetoric from Bates College in the United States.
Marisa brings over five years of experience from the media and international development sector and most recently worked at UN Women and the World Health Organization. She is passionate about gender equality, social justice, and public health. Her recent journalism appears in Canada's National Observer, The Georgia Straight, The Thunderbird, and the Conversation's Don't Call Me Resilient podcast.
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Sandrine Jacquot
Sandrine Jacquot is a writer and editor currently completing her Master of Journalism at the University of British Columbia. She has a B.A.H in Global Development Studies and English Language and Literature, and a Certificate in Law from Queen’s University. Sandrine covers a range of topics including global and social issues, environment and climate change, and culture.
Chaimae Chouiekh
Chaimae Chouiekh is a Moroccan journalist. She holds a master's in journalism from UBC and a bachelor's in finance and mathematics.
In her reporting, she focuses on topics related to marginalized communities, international politics, and social justice. Her work reflects a dedication to amplifying underrepresented voices. She's a polyglot who lives to connect with diverse audiences.
 
Get in touch at chaimae1@student.ubc.ca
Zachary Andrade
Zachary Andrade is a third-year Honours English student at the University of British Columbia. He is interested in arts and culture within journalism, and has written album reviews for Discorder Magazine. Previously, he served as the editor-in-chief of the Steveston-London Secondary Press.
He will be leading an external communication strategy for the GJIL, which aims to share profile spotlights of our active research partners. His role is funded by UBC's Arts University Research Award (AURA) established to enhance the student research efforts in the Faculty of Arts. The overall aim is to enhance student experience and training at the same time as fostering research culture and activity within the Faculty of Arts.
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Ned Watt

Ned is a first-year Master of Philosophy student at QUT's Digital Media Research Centre in Brisbane, Australia. Ned is researching the implications of human-centred AI tools for fact-checking and explanatory journalism. He holds a Master of Digital Communication and has research interests in studying digital media discourse around renewable energy, climate change, and sustainability.

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Calvin Hillis
Calvin is a Media Design Innovation PhD Candidate at Toronto Metropolitan University. His research is engaged with new-media technologies, specifically Augmented Reality. Calvin's work is highlighted by academic publications and creative work features in art galleries. Calvin's technical digital marketing specialist work is focused on search-engine-optimization.
Stuart Duncan
Stuart is a PhD student in the Media and Design Innovation program at Toronto Met University, and his research focuses broadly on the field of computational social science concentrating on the social impacts of artificial intelligence and online algorithms, with a particular focus on its impacts in the field of journalism. Stuart also has a Master of Arts in Communication and Culture from Toronto Met University and a Bachelor of Arts in Computing and Information Science from the University of Guelph.
As part of his research at the Explanatory Journalism and Uptake Project, he uses computational processes to analyze online content with the goal of measuring the characteristics of online deliberation in explanatory journalism. Professionally he has worked in media and journalism for almost two decades, most of that with the CBC where he is a producer on CBC News’ national social media team. He has also worked as an instructor at George Brown College and Toronto Met's RTA School of Media.
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Justine Woods
Justine Woods (she/her) is a PhD student in the Media and Design Innovation program at TMU. She holds a Master of Design in Interdisciplinary Art, Media and Design from OCAD University and a Bachelor of Design in Fashion Design from TMU. Justine’s research and design practice centres fashion and garment-making as a practice-based method of inquiry towards re-stitching alternative worlds that celebrate and mobilize Indigenous resurgence.
Her work prioritizes all of the relationships that make up her identity as a Penetanguishene Aabitaawikwe; an identity she has inherited from her family and her Aabitaawizininiwag ancestors. Justine is a member of what is presently known as the Georgian Bay Métis Community and is a descendant of the St. Onge and Berger-Beaudoin families.
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Anthony Milton
Anthony is a second-year Masters of Journalism student at TMU. As a research assistant on the XJO Project, he is involved in surveying Conversation Canada authors and analyzing their responses. Anthony is also a contributor to the XJO Project Blog.
Outside of the project, his work revolves around magazine feature writing, data journalism, and politics. Anthony’s major research project uses ARC GIS to plot 15 years of political donations data across detailed maps of Canada, showing how and where Canada’s political parties make their money.
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Soraya Lecourt
Soraya is a second-year student in Journalism at T.M.U. She is a multilingual and independent person who demonstrates a passion for Information and Communication Networks with the ability to take initiative. Coordinating events and media always have been a strong skill for her. She began in the first European artistic agency, Lecourt learned to work with discretion for great artists. She continues to explore her skills for L’OREAL in organizing their International Trade Show in Paris.
She decided to work in Radio with the first European Radio Broadcaster where she experienced the technical area of advertising. Lecourt has a rich experience of cultures thanks to her several trips across the world, from Australia to America, via Russia or Europe.
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Anthony Bejjani

Anthony Bejjani is a second-year J.D. student at the University of Ottawa in the French Common Law Program.  Anthony is also completing his Bachelor of Commerce at the Telfer School of Management as part of the Baccalaureate in Commercial Sciences (BCom) and Juris Doctor (JD) combined program. He is mainly interested in business and tech law. 

Désirée Estephan-Saliba

Désirée Estephan-Saliba is a second-year J.D. student at the University of Ottawa in the French Common Law Program. Désirée is also completing her Bachelor of Commerce at the Telfer School of Management as part of the Baccalaureate in Commercial Sciences (BCom) and Juris Doctor (JD) combined program.

Lui Xia Lee

Lui Xia Lee is a second year Master of Arts student in the University of British Columbia’s department of history. She is also a research and editorial assistant for Dr. Heidi Tworek as well as the Media Relations Assistant at UBC Media Relations. Her research is focused on news coverage of national language and education policies in Malaysia from 1957 to 1969. She has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Carleton University. 

Nathan Lucky

Nathan Lucky holds a BA (Hons.) from the University of British Columbia (Okanagan) in history and an MA in history from the University of British Columbia (Vancouver). He focuses on Jewish and non-Jewish media responses to the Holocaust, Jewish organizations, and public relations.

Lisa Ren

Lisa Ren is an upcoming second-year MA student at the University of British Columbia’s Department of History and received her BA in International Relations at UBC. She is interested in looking at the history of media and communication infrastructures in post-socialist China, and the implications of political and economic developments on the globalization of Chinese media. 

Her research is currently focused on Xinhua News Agency and global media, specifically on the transformation of Xinhua into a world news agency from 1978 to 1989. She is also currently the assistant at the Centre for Chinese Research at UBC and also a recent awardee of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council’s (SSHRC) CGS-M Award.

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Isabelle Santerre

Isabelle Santerre is a research assistant at the University of Ottawa’s Centre for Law, Technology and Society. She is currently a law student at the University of Ottawa.

Louise Stahl

Louise Stahl is a research assistant at the University of Ottawa’s Centre for Law, Technology and Society. She is currently a PhD student at the Department of Communication at the same institution.

Elif Zaimler
Elif Zaimler is entering her second year in the Master of Journalism program at the University of British Columbia. Originally from Turkey, she has a background in International Relations from Ozyegin University and completed her Honours degree in Communication and Media Studies at Carleton University, graduating with distinction.
She currently works as a Communications and Digital Media Assistant with UBC Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and as a Graduate Academic Assistant in the Global Journalism Innovation Lab. She previously interned with the editorial team at Vancouver Magazine, where she contributed to coverage on arts, culture, and community stories. Her writing has also been published in The Ubyssey and The Source, exploring themes such as environmental sustainability, local events, and cross-border political and economic issues. Elif is trilingual in English, French, and Turkish, and is passionate about human rights, international affairs, and political reporting. She has also worked at Canada Life and Amazon, where she gained experience in client communications, internal coordination, and human resources support—skills that strengthened her ability to navigate large organizations and communicate effectively across teams. Her academic achievements include the Faculty of Arts Graduate Award (2024), the Murdoch Maxwell MacOdrum Scholarship (2019–2020), the Dean’s Honour List at Carleton, and the James L. and Donald A. Duncan Fellowship (2025).
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Rahat Sandhu

Rahat Sandhu is a writer and journalist with a keen interest in international politics, the global economy, and the evolving landscape of digital media. She is entering the second year of her Master of Journalism at the University of British Columbia, and has a B.A. in Journalism and Psychology from India. Rahat began her professional journalism career at Thomson Reuters, where she worked as a business correspondent and covered breaking news across business, politics, and human interest beats. 

She has spent time working in public relations and has contributed articles to articles for different websites, including La Source/The Source Newspaper and is a current editorial intern at NUVO Magazine, where she writes lifestyle features and supports the magazine’s digital marketing initiatives.  Rahat is deeply interested in how journalism can amplify underrepresented voices and examine the role of media in shaping narratives around marginalised communities. She is also exploring the intersection of journalism and technology, including how AI, data, and digital platforms are reshaping storytelling and audience engagement.  
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Faiz Ahmed

Faiz Ahmed is currently a Work Learn Researcher with The Conversation Canada after completing the first year of his Masters in Journalism at the University of British Columbia. Faiz has previously worked as a sports writer in Pakistan where he covered the national team’s soccer matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers as well as the Indian tennis team’s historic Davis Cup encounter with Pakistan after a five-decade hiatus. 

Faiz Ahmed is currently a Work Learn Researcher with The Conversation Canada after completing the first year of his Masters in Journalism at the University of British Columbia. Faiz has previously worked as a sports writer in Pakistan where he covered the national team’s soccer matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers as well as the Indian tennis team’s historic Davis Cup encounter with Pakistan after a five-decade hiatus. He worked for the French wired service, Agence France-Presse, during the 2024 national elections in Pakistan where his written pieces were published in multiple US-based media outlets and AFP’s website. Outside of work, Faiz likes to learn about history and the political decisions that led to the world reaching 2025. The usual place to find him during a semester is the Thunderbird Stadium, participating in UBC intramural soccer leagues. Upon meeting a stranger, he likes to enquire about their heritage and what led them to reach the place they are at. P.S. If you ever cross Faiz on a street, try to steer away from politics and soccer as the conversation won’t end.
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