International Women’s Day 2025, themed “Accelerate Action,” emphasizes the urgent need for gender equality. This year's focus is on creating a world where diversity is celebrated, inclusion is integral and differences are valued. Women, especially in academia, are at the forefront, challenging norms and reshaping disciplines.
Alice MacLachlan, vice-provost and dean at York University’s Faculty of Graduate Studies, highlights the critical need for gender equity in addressing global challenges.
“There has never been a more important time to accelerate action around gender parity,” says MacLachlan. “The world is facing an increasing number of urgent and almost existential threats. From climate change to political instability, economic disparity to mental health crises – as well as ongoing calls for decolonization, inclusion, and meaningful justice – each of these challenges requires the participation and leadership of women at all levels.”
Women’s leadership, she says, is essential in tackling these issues.
Among these trailblazers are seven women graduate student researchers whose pursuits embody the spirit of change and the relentless drive for progress. By pushing boundaries and advancing research, their efforts not only contribute to their fields but also pave the way for a more inclusive and equitable world.
Sana Akram – cinema and media studies
Sana Akram’s PhD research is focused on revitalizing the historical Indo Persian storytelling tradition of Tilismi Dastan, blending it with emerging technologies like virtual and augmented reality. This work seeks to reclaim and reimagine an ancient storytelling form that was once marginalized by colonialism.
The Tilismi Dastan is a narrative art full of enchantment and complexity. Akram’s goal is to decolonize it and reintroduce it as a means of storytelling for the 21st century, by merging tradition with cutting-edge media.
“I want to put forth a pathway for a younger generation of storytellers performers and general audiences from the South Asian communities and diasporas to reconnect with storytelling traditions that are part of their traditions and heritage,” Akram says, adding she’d like to hold world-building workshops and community engagement initiatives that can initiate that sort of an engagement.
Grace Bischof – physics and astronomy
Grace Bischof, a PhD student, is studying the dust dynamics in the atmosphere of Mars by analyzing images from the Curiosity rover. Her research helps understand how dust affects the martian climate, particularly during global dust storms, and lays groundwork for the future of human exploration on the Red Planet.
Dust is a critical component of the Martian atmosphere, impacting everything from temperature regulation to climate patterns, Bischof notes. Her work is a pioneering step toward ensuring the safety of humans headed to Mars.
“I've always had a deep love for space,” Bischof says, “so getting to do research about the atmosphere of another planet is something that is really exciting to me and drives me daily.”
Alita Gideon – kinesiology and health science
Alita Gideon, a master's student, is passionate about exercise's impact on human health, particularly in how it affects the blood vessels around adipose tissue (also known as body fat). The research focuses on understanding whether exercise has a positive or negative effect on the blood supply to fat tissue, an area crucial for the body's overall well-being.
Gideon advocates for active lifestyles and sees the potential of this research to influence health policies related to obesity and promote healthy bodies.
“I am a very big advocate of living an active lifestyle. I think it is great on many levels. We know it's beneficial physically and mentally and this type of exercise is cool because it kind of merged my love for that active lifestyle with my basic knowledge and love of let's say molecular biology,” Gideon says.
Understanding these processes could lead to better treatments for obesity and cardiovascular health, providing a new avenue for tackling these widespread issues. Gideon’s research exemplifies the intersection of science and practical health solutions.
Jessie Krahn – cinema and media studies
Jessie Krahn’s PhD research explores how authorship is evolving on social media, particularly in the ways content creators anticipate audience reactions. By studying platforms like YouTube and Instagram, Krahn investigates how social media creators adapt their work based on audience engagement.
“I chose this topic to research because I was thinking about my own role and work as a YouTuber back in my bachelor's degree,” Krahn say., “I thought about why I got so excited or sometimes felt so nervous about my process and I realized it was because I was always imagining an audience member and how they might react to my work.”
As social media continues to reshape creative industries, Krahn’s research provides valuable insight into the changing nature of authorship and human interaction in the digital space.
“I think my research will impact society as questions about the use of AI in creative production become more and more commonplace,” Krahn says. “I think that when we rely more and more on non-humans to create art we'll have to explain what it is about human authorship and human audience participation that is distinct from artificial intelligence created artworks.”
Tenisha Noel – law
Tenisha Noel’s master’s research examines the intersectionality of race and poverty, specifically focusing on the racial profiling of Black youth in Canada. By analyzing systemic discrimination in education and youth protection systems, Noel seeks to develop actionable strategies to promote equity and inclusivity in these institutions.
Every day, Black youth face challenges because of their race, but research is an opportunity to explore solutions and enact change, Noel says. Her work aims to shift societal perspectives and create interventions that dismantle the structures of inequality within education and the justice system.
“I believe this research is important,” Noel says, “because it highlights systemic inequities and policing that erode trust between Black communities and law enforcement.” This lack of trust ultimately perpetuates racial disparities in the criminal justice system, she adds, which could negatively impact the mental health and socioeconomic opportunities of Black youth in Toronto.
Shabnam Sukhdev – theatre, dance and performance studies
Shabnam Sukhdev, a PhD student, is using decolonizing methodologies to investigate the complexities of South Asian family dynamics, particularly around trauma, disability and domestic violence. Through performance, storytelling and digital media, Sukhdev crafts spaces for dialogue and healing, challenging patriarchal norms that often prevent these important conversations from happening.
Through roleplay and improvisation, participants in performance can uncover hidden truths and emotions within family structures, Sukhdev shares. By focusing on culturally responsive care, this research aims to bridge gaps in mental health services, ensuring immigrant families have access to inclusive support systems. She emphasizes the power of storytelling as a transformative tool for cultural change and personal healing.
“My favourite part of research is working with participants during improvisational performance workshops,” Sukhdev says. “It's incredibly moving to witness how people open up, drawing from their own lived experiences to create raw authentic moments of connection and storytelling.
She believes her research can spark meaningful change by demonstrating the importance of culturally responsive care in shaping policies and social services. ”At its core, my work focuses on co-creating tools that empower individuals and families to transform and thrive while fostering a broader societal shift toward cultural sensitivity, equity and inclusion and collective well-being,” Sukhdev says.
Danika Wagner – psychology
Danika Wagner’s PhD research delves into the cognitive experience of mental effort, particularly in individuals with ADHD. By seeking to understand how mental effort is experienced across different populations, her research aims to clarify mechanisms that could lead to better coping strategies for ADHD.
Everyone experiences mental effort, but we don’t fully understand what it feels like or how it works, Wagner explains. “I'm trying to help improve our understanding of something that everyone experiences by coming up with new measures and being able to assess this experience a little bit more precisely.”
Her work provides essential insights into ADHD and mental health, facilitating the development of more effective interventions for those affected by attentional problems.
“The original and socially meaningful projects undertaken by these extraordinary graduate student researchers bring us one step closer to that vision, via multiple methodologies: through histories, creative roleplay, cognitive psychology, cardiovascular health care, astronomy and storytelling,” says MacLachlan.
To view videos of these interviews, and others, visit the Faculty of Graduate Studies’ Knowledge Now website.