Graduate Students
Jeremy Wagner
Jeremy Wagner is a PhD Candidate and Doctoral Fellow in the Global Governance program at the Balsillie School of International Affairs. His research interests include corporate food retailing expansion in sub-Saharan Africa and the interactions between ‘formal’ and ‘informal’ food systems. Specifically, Jeremy is revisiting the supermarket revolution hypothesis within the context of Nairobi, Kenya and exploring the extent to which supermarkets are reshaping the food retailing landscape and influencing food security.
Zack Ahmed
Zack Ahmed is a PhD candidate in the Global Governance program at the Balsillie School of International Affairs where he focuses his research on the south-south migration and food (in)security nexus. Zack completed the Master of International Public Policy Program at WLU in the 2020-2021 academic year where his interest in food security grew through a research project he completed on the impact of COVID-19 on women along the food supply chain in the global South. Zack is currently working on two projects: 1) a SSHRC funded research project that asses Somali migrant households’ food security situation in Nairobi; and 2) a CIHR funded research that aims to assess the household food security of refugees from Somalia in the Kitchener-Waterloo region.
Bernard Owusu
Bernard Owusu is a PhD student at Wilfrid Laurier University Department of Geography. His research interests include migration and urbanization, food security, and resource sustainability. Bernard holds an MA in Geography from the Memorial University of Newfoundland and BA from the University of Ghana, Legon. His current study explores migration in the Global South, particularly international migration to and from Ghana and its crucial links with food security.
Tashfia Rifa Zaman
Tashfia Rifa Zaman is a Master of Development Practice (MDP) student at the University of Waterloo’s School of Environment, Enterprise, and Development (SEED). As a development worker, she spends her time researching sustainable food supply chains and determining the significance of small and medium enterprise (SME) engagement in instilling nutrition in the private sector of emerging cities such as Dhaka, Bangladesh. She is assisting in the creation of an edited volume on South-South migration for Springer Nature as part of her graduate practicum.
Laeba Khan
Laeba Khan is a Master of Global Governance (MAGG) candidate at the Balsillie School of International Affairs. Her interest in food security and the role that women in the Global South play in global food chains grew after co-authoring a policy brief to be presented to Global Affairs Canada titled “Women Feeding Cities”. This project inspired Laeba’s focus for her Major Research Paper, where she will be exploring how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted women in the informal food sector across cities in the Global South.
Adwoa Konadu-Yiadom
Adwoa Konadu-Yiadom is pursuing a Master’s degree in International Public Policy at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, with a specialization in Global Migration and Human Security. As a journalist, her interest in food security grew from observing how women in the informal food sector were negatively impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. This realization came about during her interaction with women in various markets throughout Accra, Ghana, leading to her involvement in the Women Feeding Cities policy brief to be presented to Global Affairs Canada. Adwoa holds a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from Christian Service University College in Ghana and a Diploma in Development Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication in New Delhi-India.
Heba Hamzeh
Heba Hamzeh is pursuing a Master of International Public Policy (MIPP) degree at the Balsillie School of International Affairs (BSIA). Her extensive experience collaborating with various national and international humanitarian organizations in Syria has allowed her to gain valuable insights into the complexities of food security, particularly in the context of refugee and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) communities. Her work involved hands-on implementation and rigorous evaluation of development initiatives, fostering her commitment to driving positive change in vulnerable populations. Heba has co-authored a thought-provoking policy brief titled “Women Feeding Cities.” This research, which will be presented to Global Affairs Canada, delves into the crucial role women play in the informal food sector within the Global South.
