Kasiet Ysmanova, is director at CAB and an experienced analytical design, collection, and implementation leader with over 3 years of experience carrying out research projects all over Central Asia. She has led research teams spanning the entire research cycle, to include developing research plans, carrying out data quality assessments, establishing sampling parameters, designing assessment tools, developing, and conducting researcher training, conducting interviews and focus groups, analyzing quantitative and qualitative data, and creating reports/providing briefings. She holds an MA in Politics and Security from the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. She has broad international and regional experience both in the forms of her studies and work.
Luc Turgeon is full professor at the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa. He is also affiliated to the Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire sur la diversité et la démocratie, le Groupe de recherche sur les sociétés plurinationales and the Research Centre on the Future of Cities. His main areas of research include public opinion on immigration and ethnocultural diversity, the bureaucratic representation of minorities and the politics of multinational states. He is the co-editors of two books, both published by UBC Press.
Loleen Berdahl is Professor of Political Studies at the University of Saskatchewan. She is the Executive Director of the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy (2020-present) and the former Head of Political Studies (2016-2020).
After completing her PhD at the University of Calgary, she worked for ten years in the non-profit sector, returning to academia in 2008. Her research examines how institutional, cultural, and political factors shape individual attitudes and collaborative decision-making practices, with a focus on public attitudes regarding Canadian public policy, federalism, and regionalism. Drawing on her interest in teaching and educational leadership, her work also considers career mentorship, including the use of career skills training in the undergraduate classroom and graduate career mentorship. Her most recent books include Work Your Career: Get What You Want from Your Social Sciences or Humanities PhD (University of Toronto Press; with Jonathan Malloy) and Explorations: Conducting Empirical Research in Canadian Political Science (Oxford University Press; now in its 4th edition with Jason Roy). Loleen is also the author of University Affair’s Skills Agenda column and the popular Substack blog Academia Made Easier, which provides easy tips for teaching, productivity, and work-life balance in academia.
Loleen is the recipient of the University of Saskatchewan Provost’s Award for Outstanding New Teacher, the University of Saskatchewan Provost’s Award for Outstanding Teaching in the College of Arts and Science, Division of Social Science, the College of Arts and Science Teaching Excellence Award, Division of Social Sciences, the University of Saskatchewan Master Teacher Award, the Canadian Political Science Association Prize for Teaching Excellence, and the American Political Science Association Excellence in Mentoring Award. Loleen is also an active member of the Canadian political science community; she served on the Canadian Political Science Association board of directors (2014-17) and the Prairie Political Science Association board of directors (2013-2022).
Dr. Joanna Everitt is a Professor of Political Science and a former president of the Canadian Political Science Association. At UNB she has served as the Director of the UNB Urban and Community Studies Institute (2018-21), the Dean of Arts at UNB Saint John (2008-2018) and as chair of the Department of History and Politics (2006-08). She has been a Visiting Fellow with the Electoral Integrity Project run out of Queen’s University and the University of West Anglia (2022), at the University of Exeter Q-Step Centre (2019), The McGill Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship (2018), Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government (2013) and the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada (2004).
She received her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, and her BA from Carleton University. She joined the Department of History & Politics at the University of New Brunswick – Saint John in 1997. In 2018 she was awarded the Senior Women Academic Administrators of Canada (SWAAC) Angela Hildyard Recognition Award for innovative leadership and outstanding contributions to her institution and in 2007 she was awarded the Allan P. Stuart Award for Excellence in Teaching. In July 2022, her research was recognized through her appointment as a UNB University Research Scholar (2022-2024).
Joanna Everitt specializes in Canadian politics, gender and identity politics, and political behaviour. Her research specifically examines how gender and other identities affect political engagement, public opinion, and political success (including opportunities to run for elected office, media coverage and leadership evaluations) of political elites. She was the lead investigator for the 2020 and 2014 New Brunswick Election Study and was part of the team of scholars that produced the 2004, 2006 and 2008 Canadian Election Studies. She is currently the PI for a 5 year SSHRC Insight Grant to examine the impact of candidate affinity on voter political engagement in Canadian federal elections with a focus on women, LGBTQ, Indigenous and racialized individuals.
Along with 6 co-authored and co-edited books, she has published over 50 articles in national and international journals and edited collections.
BA Political Science (University of New Brunswick); MA Political Science (McGill University); PhD Political Science (McGill University); Postdoctoral fellow (Canada Research Chair in Electoral Studies – Université de Montréal).
Professor Stephenson specializes in political behaviour, both Canadian and comparative. Her research is focused on understanding how institutions and context influence attitudes, electoral preferences and engagement with politics
Matthew provides strategic direction as Director of both the UK Data Service and the UK Data Archive, based at the University of Essex. He has practical and theoretical experience in all aspects of social science and humanities data service infrastructure, having previously headed the History Data Service and served as Head of Digital Preservation and Systems at the UK Data Archive.