Graduate Researchers

Haleakala Angus is a recent graduate of the MA Criminology and Criminal Justice Policy program at the University of Guelph, where she also completed her BA in Criminal Justice and Public Policy. In her master’s degree, she completed a major research paper that used Critical Race Theory to examine how Canadian drug policy has contributed to the disproportionate criminalization of Black women. Specifically, she explored how various identities (gender, race, and class) and broader systems of power overlap to produce oppression and disadvantage for women within the criminal justice system. Throughout her studies, Haleakala became passionate about advocating for women’s rights, specifically concerning gender-based violence. Currently, Haleakala is the Project Content Leader for the Femicide Watch Platform (FWP), a joint project with the United Nations Studies Association (UNSA). The FWP is a digital platform that shares knowledge and brings awareness to the global issue of femicide. She has volunteer and work experience at the Women’s Centre of Halton, a non-profit organization in her community where she provides support to women experiencing crisis, distress, or transition. Haleakala is currently working as a research assistant at CSSLRV on various projects.

Ciara Boyd is currently a PhD student in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Guelph. Ciara completed her Honors B.A. from Western University with a specialization in Criminology and her M.A. in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice Policy at the University of Guelph. Her research focuses on exploring and understanding different types of gender-based homicides, with a concentration on mass killings and familicides. With Myrna Dawson as her supervisor, Ciara’s M.A. thesis used a gendered theoretical framework to compare the characteristics of domestic and non-domestic mass killings in Ontario, a project she is expanding nationally in her PhD research. Ciara currently volunteers for the Femicide Watch Platform, a project coordinated by the United Nations Studies Association. Through this volunteer work, Ciara participates in various tasks that aim to evolve the understanding of femicide/feminicide, present key information, and address policy and decision-making at multiple levels. She is also volunteering for the Western Cold Case Society in London, Ontario, where she works collaboratively with students and faculty to analyze unsolved crimes that have occurred in both Canada and the U.S. Ciara works on various CSSLRV-research projects, including a SSHRC-funded project “Representing intimate femicide in Canada: Understanding media framing of gender-related killings of women and girls, 2010-2024.”

Taylor Hendren is a Master of Arts student in the Criminology and Criminal Justice Policy program at the University of Guelph. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Regina in Human Justice with a minor in Sociology. Under the supervision of Myrna Dawson, Taylor is currently working on her major research paper for her Master’s degree focusing on police responses to sexual violence against women. Specifically, she is interested in unfounded sexual assault cases and trauma informed training since various social movements, such as #MeToo. Her other research interests include human trafficking, and intimate partner violence. She is passionate about learning how to be better ally and advocate for survivors of gender-based violence.  

Anna Johnson (she/her) is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Guelph. She completed her B.A. in Criminal Justice at Nipissing University and her M.A. in Criminology and Criminal Justice Policy at the University of Guelph. Her M.A. research examined the application of s.718.2(e) of the Criminal Code and the Gladue Principles in manslaughter cases across Canada. Anna is committed to indigenization and decolonization of the academy and is a member of the CSAHS Indigenous Strategy Committee and was member of the Research and Scholarship Working Group for the University of Guelph’s Indigenous Initiatives Strategy. She also served as a Research Assistant for Indigenous Initiatives from 2019 to 2021. Since 2015, Anna has worked with Dr. Dawson on a number of CSSLRV-research projects. Anna and Dr. Dawson are co-authors of Filicide: An Oxford Bibliography and, more recently, an article in Child Abuse Review that compares characteristics of child homicide by degree of intimacy between the victim and perpetrator. Under the supervision of Dr. Dawson, Anna’s PhD research focuses specifically on criminal justice responses to filicide and child homicide more broadly.

Abigail Mitchell is a Sociology PhD student at the University of Guelph, having recently graduated from their Master’s program in Criminology and Criminal Justice Policy. Her thesis research was on forensic pathologists’ decision-making in cases of sexual femicide. Abigail’s PhD research will focus on internet-facilitated child sexual abuse. She volunteers with the Femicide Watch Platform, and the University of Guelph’s Sexual Violence Advisory Committee. Abigail’s research interests more broadly include femicide, sexual violence, gendered violence, and LGBTQ2SIA+ communities. 

Andie Rexdiemer is an MA student in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice Policy at the University of Guelph. She graduated with distinction with a B.A.(Honours) from Queen’s University in Global Development Studies. Under the supervision of Dr. Myrna Dawson and Dr. Ryan Broll, her research focuses on how digital media platforms facilitate ‘femicide’ within both intimate and non-intimate relationships, and the roles of social media corporations and law enforcement officials when policing ‘cyber-misogyny.’ Andie is currently volunteering with Femicide Watch Platform, United Nations Studies Association, to help update the content focused on education and awareness.

Emmanuel Rohn is a PhD student in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Guelph. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in sociology and social work from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology in Ghana. His undergraduate degree provided him with a distinctive perspective and way of seeing the social world and he became interested in research and a career in academia. After completing his bachelor’s degree, Emmanuel undertook a Master of Philosophy Degree in Sociology from the same University. With a research focus shift, he pursued another master’s degree in Sociology at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada. Specifically, his research focused on motivations and barriers to help-seeking behaviour among female survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Ghana related to the demography of sub-Saharan Africa. Since then, Emmanuel has developed keen interest in issues bordering on intimate partner violence, intimate partner femicide, social justice, women’s empowerment, social and institutional responses to violence. Under the supervision of Professor Myrna Dawson, Emmanuel’s PhD research will help shift research attention to intimate partner femicide in sub-Saharan African particularly Ghana and assist in eradicating this form of violence. Emmanuel also works as a research assistant with Professor Dawson at the Centre for the Study of Social and Legal Responses to Violence (CSSLRV).