Research Overview
My research investigates how harmful ideologies, particularly violent extremism and misogyny, are produced, circulated, and normalized in online spaces. I combine qualitative and computational methods to study how radical discourses evolve across platforms, communities, and influencers.
I'm especially interested in extremist manifestos, the digital manosphere, and cross-platform comparisons between mainstream and alt-tech ecosystems. My goal is to build nuanced understandings of radicalization and online harm to inform both academic debates and public policy.
Doctoral Research Areas
1. Violent Extremist Manifestos
I created one of the first comprehensive academic databases of over 100 violent extremist manifestos to support both qualitative, quantitative, and computational research. I used BERTopic, sentiment and emotion classification, network analysis, and qualitative discourse analysis to examine how these texts justify violence, construct ideological narratives, and cultivate digital communities.
2. The Digital Manosphere
This stream of my research investigates how male supremacist communities, particularly influencers from podcasts and forums, regulate femininity and reinforce patriarchal norms. I analyze discourse, emotional appeals, and cultural narratives within these spaces to understand how misogyny circulates and evolves online.
3. Platform Ecologies: Mainstream vs. Alt-Tech
I examined how extremist and misogynistic discourses operate across different digital ecosystems, including both mainstream platforms (like Reddit) and alt-tech sites (like Incels forums). My research explored how platform design, moderation policies, and user cultures shape the visibility, tone, and spread of radical content.
Research Experience
12/2024–Present
Researcher, Toronto Metropolitan University
Project funded by the Canadian Race Relations Fondation
Community-Law Enforcement Training Initiative
01/2025–07/2025
Researcher, Toronto Metropolitan University
Project funded by the Canadian Network for Security, Extremism and Society (CANSES)
RCMP-SIIT Evaluation Project
12/2024–04/2025
Researcher, International CyberCrime Research Centre (ICCRC)
Project Funded by the Department of National Defence
09/2024–04/2025
Senior Researcher, DigFemNet Network
Project Funded by the SSHRC Partnership Development Grant
Developing Scholarly Digital Feminist Networks in Canada: Resources, Toolkits, and Outreach
09/2023–03/2025
Graduate Research Assistant, NetLab
Project Funded by the SSHRC Insight Grant
Disinformation, Democracy, and Online Political Deliberation
03/2023–12/2024
Graduate Research Assistant, Teaching Assessment Processes office (TAP)
Qualitative Analysis of Student Course Perception Survey’s Open-Ended Comments: Insights into Student Perceptions of the Learning Experience
11/2022–07/2024
Researcher, Ontario Native Women Organization (ONWA)
Multiple projects related to Indigenous child welfare, anti-human trafficking, gender and youth (2SLGBTQQIA+), racism in healthcare, Indigenous justice, and environmental justice (Mother Earth).
05/2023–04/2024
Research Associate, International CyberCrime Research Centre (ICCRC)
Office of Crime Reduction & Gang Outreach (OCR-GO) - Policing and Security Branch
Human Trafficking Enforcement in British Columbia: An In-Depth Analysis of Existing Strategies, and Recommendations for New Methods of Combatting Human Trafficking and Organized Crime
04/2021–07/2022
Research Associate, International CyberCrime Research Centre (ICCRC)
Project funded by the Department of National Defence II
The Dark Crawler: Combating Disinformation Warfare with Artificial Intelligence
10/2021–03/2022
Lead Graduate Research Assistant, International CyberCrime Research Centre (ICCRC)
Office of Crime Reduction & Gang Outreach (OCR-GO) - Policing and Security Branch
Deploying Artificial Intelligence to Detect and Respond to the Use of Digital Technology by Perpetrators of Human Trafficking
12/2020–07/2021
Research Associate, Canadian Drug Policy Coalition
Social Science & Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Connection Grants
Imagine Safer Supply: Drug User Participation and Leadership in Canadian Drug Policy
10/2020–03/2021
Lead Graduate Research Assistant, International CyberCrime Research Centre (ICCRC)
Government of Canada’s Digital Citizen Contribution Program
Deploying Artificial Intelligence to Combat Covid-19 Disinformation on social media
09/2019–07/2020
Lead Graduate Research Assistant, International CyberCrime Research Centre (ICCRC)
Social Science & Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Insight Development Grant
Impacts of Ransomware on BC Businesses
08/2019–02/2020
Graduate Research Assistant, International CyberCrime Research Centre (ICCRC)
Project funded by the Department of National Defence I
The Dark Crawler: Detecting and responding to hostile information activities via textual analysis, sentiment analysis, and machine learning
07/2019–10/2019
Graduate Research Assistant, Simon Fraser University
Social Science & Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Insight Development Grant
Fake News perceptions and discourses on social media and Canadian mainstream media
12/2018–06/2019
Graduate Research Assistant, International CyberCrime Research Centre (ICCRC)
Project funded by Cyber Security Cooperation Program
Fighting Disinformation Warfare with Artificial Intelligence - Using machine learning to identify and combat disinformation attacks
04/2016–05/2018
Undergraduate Research Assistant, Humber College
Project funded by the Social Science & Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
Toronto Policing Service Neighbourhood Policing Program