Our Team & Trainees

Academic Research Team & Collaborators

Michael Woodford (he/him) | Professor, Faculty of Social Work | Wilfrid Laurier University 
Michael’s research addresses the social exclusion and inclusion of LGBTQ2S+ people, primarily focusing on university students. Much of his research examines the relationship between campus climate, including often-unintentional microaggressions (e.g. “you’re not a real woman” said to a transwoman) and outcomes, such as mental health and academic development. Wanting to foster students’ resilience to the negative effects of discrimination, he also studies the factors that promote strength and wellbeing in the context of adversity; this includes institutional factors, such as campus policies and services for LGBTQ2S+ students. Michael served as the Principal Investigator on Thriving On Campus’ Insight and Connection Grant projects.

This project builds on Michael’s previous research on campus climate, which was conducted in the United States while he was a faculty member at the University of Michigan. In 2013, Michael and Kris Renn conducted the National Study of LGBTQ Student Success.

LINK TO MICHAEL’S FACULTY PAGE

Lee Airton (they/them) | Associate Professor, Department of Gender & Sexuality Studies in Education, Faculty of Education | Queen’s University
Lee’s research examines how schools and universities respond to gender diversity, with a focus on policy, law, and the experiences of transgender and gender non-conforming students. Their work explores how K-12 education systems implement human rights protections for gender identity and expression, as well as how large-scale data collection can better reflect the complexities of gender. Committed to fostering more inclusive learning environments, Lee also leads projects that remove barriers for transgender teacher candidates and develops resources like www.gegi.ca, a bilingual self-advocacy tool for K-12 students facing gender-based discrimination. A frequent speaker and media commentator, they advocate for practical, everyday approaches to supporting gender diversity. Lee was a Co-investigator on Thriving On Campus’ Connection Grant project. 

LINK TO LEE’S FACULTY PAGE

Simon Coulombe (he/him) | Associate Professor, Industrial Relations Department, Faculty of Social Sciences | Université Laval

Guided by positive psychology and socio-ecological approaches, Simon’s research examines resilience in LGBTQ2S+ individuals and people from other stigmatized communities, exploring how they can achieve wellbeing despite challenges and discrimination. Simon’s work contributes to understanding and reducing inequities faced by communities in stigmatizing circumstances (e.g., LGBTQ2S+ people with mental disorders or disabilities, people living in public housing) by considering the social and ecological factors that impact their well-being. Simon’s work supports the empowerment of these communities by ensuring that his research can yield positive impact – for participants, researchers, and practitioners. Simon was a Co-investigator on Thriving On Campus’ Insight and Connection Grant projects.

LINK TO SIMON’S FACULTY PAGE

Antonio Duran (he/him) | Associate Professor, Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation | Arizona State University
Informed by his identity as a cisgender queer Latino man, Antonio’s research involves understanding how historical and contemporary legacies of oppression influence college student development, experiences, and success. In particular, he is passionate about uplifting the perspectives of queer and trans communities of color, as well as theories and frameworks grounded in these experiences. He does so mindful of the diversity that exists within queer and trans groups, together with an attention to how different institutional environments (e.g., minority-serving institutions) address the needs of these populations. Antonio joined the Thriving On Campus team for our Connection Grant project as a co-editor of the special issue of the Journal of LGBT Youth that we led. 

LINK TO ANTONIO’S FACULTY PAGE

Corey Johnson (he/him) | Distinguished Professor of Social Justice Research, Department of Parks, Recreation, & Tourism Management | North Carolina State University
Corey’s inquiry focuses on power relations between dominant (white, male, etc.) and non-dominant populations in the cultural contexts of leisure and is also a qualitative research methodologist. He has co-authored seminal texts such as Fostering Social Justice for Qualitative Inquiry: A Methodological Guide, Promiscuous Perspectives: Sex and Leisure, and Contemporary Issues in Leisure. His current projects focus on technologically mediated social relations, including decreasing gender-based violence on dating apps like Tinder, Bumble and Grindr. He is coinvestigator on the project sponsoring this virtual conference series. Corey was a Co-investigator on our Connection Grant project. 

LINK TO COREY’S FACULTY PAGE

Zack Marshall (he/him) | Associate Professor, Department of Community Health Sciences | University of Calgary
With over 14 years of experience in the areas of health and mental health, Zack’s practice has focused on working with sexual and gender minority youth and communities, people labelled with intellectual disabilities, and people who use drugs. Committed to transformative social change, his interdisciplinary program of research explores ethics, engagement, and knowledge synthesis with respect to marginalized and underrepresented communities. Zack was a Co-investigator on Thriving on Campus’ Insight Grant project and was at McGill University when the study was conducted. 

LINK TO ZACK’S FACULTY PAGE

Lauren Munro (she/her) | Assistant Professor, School of Disability Studies, Faculty of Community Services | Toronto Metropolitan University
Lauren is an activist-academic, artist, and writer whose personal and professional life is driven by a commitment to social justice. Munro has extensive experience as a community-based researcher and her scholarship to date has involved a wide array of projects focused on the health and wellbeing of 2SLGBTQ+ communities, body diversity and weight stigma, disability justice in arts-based research, transformative approaches to mental health, sexual health service access for women with psychiatric disabilities, centering service user epistemology in medical education, and issues related to sexual health and HIV vulnerability. In addition to her skills in qualitative research design, Munro has experience with arts-based methods such as photovoice, digital storytelling and digital fictions. As an instructor, Munro is committed to cultivating compassionate classrooms where students, instructors, and teaching assistants are all positioned as vital contributors to the learning environment. Lauren served as a Collaborator on Thriving On Campus’ Insight Grant project.

LINK TO LAUREN’S FACULTY PAGE

Z Nicolazzo (she/her) | Associate Professor, Trans* Studies in Education, Center for the Study of Higher Education | Department of Educational Policy Studies and Practice | University of Arizona
Z’s research focuses on mapping gender across the college/university contexts, with particular focus on trans* student resilience and kinship building.  Hir specific areas of interest include: gender in higher education, research methodologies, and trans* studies. In particular, Z’s research highlights students’ experiences of the intersections of race, disability, and gender identity.  Z also writes about the use of alternative methodologies, epistemologies, and representations of knowledge.  Z is originally from New Hampshire, and in hir free time, Z enjoys cycling, reading, and spending time with hir 11 year old Westie, Grrtrude Anne. Z served as a Collaborator on Thriving On Campus’ Insight Grant project. 

LINK TO Z’S FACULTY PAGE

Kristen Renn (she/her; they/them) | Professor of Higher, Adult & Lifelong Education, Department of Educational Administration, College of Education | Michigan State University
Kris’ research focuses on the intersection of student success with issues of identity in higher education, including studies of mixed-race identities, LGBTQ2S+ students and leaders of identity-based student organizations. Kris is co-principal investigator of the National Study of LGBTQ Student Success. Kris served as a Collaborator on Thriving On Campus’ Insight Grant project. 

LINK TO KRIS’ FACULTY PAGE

Tin D. Vo (he/they) | Assistant Professor | Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto

Tin’s equity-focused and interdisciplinary research program explores social exclusion and belonging as determinants of health for marginalized communities to shape socially and culturally responsive systems of care. Tin contributed to the Thriving On Campus study (Insight Grand) as a member of the BIPOC workgroup that focused on findings related to BIPOC students’ experiences and as a Collaborator on the Connection Grant project that mobilized research findings and supported change on campuses.

LINK TO TIN’S FACULTY PAGE

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 Current Research Staff & Trainee

The Thriving On Campus research team is dedicated to training and mentoring students at all levels in 2SLGBTQ+ research. We pride ourselves on engaging 2SLGBTQ+ students and allies in this important work. 

Eric J Van Giessen (he/they) | PhD Candidate | York University

Eric (he/they) is a sixth-year doctoral student in Sociology at York University. His SSHRC-funded dissertation, Queer Religious Futures: Exploring the Lives, Stories, and Practices of Mainline Protestant Queer Clergy in Canada, examines how queer clergy navigate religious institutions, reorient heteronormative religious spaces, and imagine alternative queer religious futures. Grounded in queer phenomenology, lived religion, and queer utopianism, Eric’s research explores how queer clergy’s embodied experiences and spiritual practices challenge and reconfigure Christian traditions. Using narrative and arts-based methodologies, his work highlights the anticipatory and transformative dimensions of queer religious life. Eric has been involved with the Thriving On Campus project since 2019, first as an Interviewer and later as a Research Assistant and Project Coordinator, contributing to webinar projects, podcasts, and the 2022-2023 Virtual Conference Series.

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Former Research Staff & Trainees

Throughout the Thriving On Campus and Querying Higher Education In Canada, we have emphasized working with and mentoring the next generation of social justice scholars. Throughout the study and change project, over 60 undergraduate, masters’, and doctoral students and post-doctorate graduates supported our project while strengthening their research and knowledge mobilization competencies. Many of our former trainees have continued their studies, while some have started their work careers in academia as faculty members or in the non-profit or public sectors working in community development and advocacy, human services, student affairs, policy and program development, and other fields.