The leadership team provides vision and strategic direction to cultivate excellence in migration research, train the next generation of migration researchers, and drive community impact.
The UBC Centre for Migration Studies is housed in the Faculty of Arts and is led by its Co-Directors, Dr. Irene Bloemraad (Professor, Political Science and Sociology) and Dr. Antje Ellermann (Professor, Political Science), and an eighteen-member Executive Committee.
Dr. Suzanne Huot will serve as Interim Co-Director of the Centre during the 2025–2026 academic year, while Dr. Antje Ellermann is on research leave.
CMS Executive Committee
At present, the Executive Committee comprises fifteen faculty members from nine UBC units, two graduate student representatives, and a community member representing community and settlement sector interests.
Community Liaison
- Sean Lauer, Department of Sociology
Community Representative
- Winnie Chironga, Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC (AMSSA)
Graduate Student Representatives
- Atreyi Bhattacharjee, Allard School of Law
- Claudia Serrano, Department of Political Science
- Jemima Baada, Department of Geography
- Irene Bloemraad, Department of Political Science & Sociology
- Alexia Bloch, Department of Anthropology
- Amanda Cheong, Department of Sociology
- Catherine Dauvergne, Allard School of Law
- Terri Givens, Department of Political Science
- Markus Hallensleben, Department of Central, Eastern and Northern European Studies
- Suzanne Huot, Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy
- Elizabeth “Biz” Nijdam, Department of Central, Eastern and Northern European Studies
- Geraldine Pratt, Department of Geography
- Pasang Sherpa, Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies; Department of Asian Studies
- Vince Hopkins, Department of Political Science
- Matthew Wright, Department of Political Science
- Gaoheng Zhang, Department of French, Hispanic, and Italian Studies
- Helena Zeweri, Department of Anthropology
- Antje Ziethen, Department of French, Hispanic, and Italian Studies
Community Advisory Board
The Community Advisory Board (CAB) connects CMS with Metro Vancouver and broader community stakeholders in BC engaged in migration-related research and its economic, political, and social dimensions. Serving as an advisory body, the CAB collaborates with the Executive Committee to guide regional research priorities and foster meaningful partnerships between researchers and the community.
- Alec Attfield, Immigrant Services Society of BC
- Irene Bloemraad, Department of Political Science and Sociology (UBC)
- Huda Bolbolan, South Vancouver Neighborhood House
- Koyali Burman, Vancouver Local Immigration Partnership (VLIP)
- Anastasia Chyz-Lesage, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (Western Region)
- Katie Crocker, Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC (AMSSA)
- Antje Ellermann, Department of Political Science (UBC)
- Lily Grewal, BC Government (Immigrant Integration Vancouver)
- Caitlin Johnston, MOSAIC BC
- Hafsa Khan, Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC (AMSSA)
- Norm Leech, Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House
- Patrick MacKenzie, Immigrant Employment Council of B.C.
- Ingrid Mendez, Migrant Workers Center BC
- Pascaline Nsekera, Great Light Healing Community Services Society (GLHCSS)
- Jing Liu, Chimo Community Services
- Javier Ojer, Centre for Migration Studies (UBC)
- Yusra Qadir, Mothers Matter Centre
- Sean Lauer, Department of Sociology (UBC)
