番茄社区

Professional Information & Research

Ash is a PhD candidate at the School of Public Administration at the 番茄社区, where she is deeply engaged in research on systemic barriers and discrimination faced by skilled immigrants in the Canadian labour market. Under the supervision of Dr. Jill Chouinard, her dissertation examines issues such as credential recognition, workplace biases, and socio-economic inclusion through an equity, diversity, inclusion, and accountability (EDIA) framework. She is a member of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC) and serves on UVic’s Academic Equity Advisory Group (AEAG).

Ash holds a Master of Education in Leadership Studies, Adult Education, and Community Engagement from the 番茄社区 and a Bachelor of Science with honours from the University of Tabriz in Iran. Before relocating to the beautiful lands of the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Songhees and Esquimalt) Peoples—whom she deeply respects—, Ash served as a senior research officer at a university in Iran.

With a background in employment and education justice for marginalized populations, Ash is an adult educator specializing in career counselling, experiential learning, workshop development and facilitation, as well as traditional and non-traditional training and program management. Her professional expertise extends to community and participatory-based research, program evaluation, and both qualitative and quantitative research design and analysis, including mixed methods. She has taught and facilitated various workshops and courses, developing experiential learning opportunities across diverse fields such as technology, science, and social science.

Currently, Ash’s research focuses on the relationship between federal policymakers, Canadian professional bodies, and employers in addressing the work integration challenges faced by skilled immigrants. Her studies explore the roles of these entities in bridging the qualification-recognition gap and identifying strategies to enhance alignment between federal policies and employment opportunities for skilled immigrants.

Research interests

• Work integration of skilled immigrants in Canada: Policies, discourses, and implications
• Systemic discrimination against marginalized populations in workplaces
• Program evaluation through community-based and participatory research
• Employment and Educational Justice Pedagogy
• Experiential learning methods and applications