Our Team
Led by our dedicated director, our group comprises graduate students from diverse academic backgrounds and interests, united by a shared passion for innovative research on social infrastructure and integration.
Dr Sean Lauer
Director
University of British Columbia, Department of Sociology
My research explores the sociology of community and the experience of newcomers in Canada in particular. I am interested in studying the experience of newcomers in the network of community-based organizations in Vancouver and how these organizations impact social capacity development. My work also explores concepts such as friendship diversity and network diversity in the transition from high school to adulthood.
Tori Shucheng Yang
PhD Candidate
University of British Columbia, Department of Sociology
My research interests include transnational migration, gender and sexuality, social theory, and qualitative methods. My doctoral dissertation explores the intersectional identities and migration trajectories of Chinese LGBTQ+ migrants in the United States and Canada.
Frankie Cabahug
PhD Student
University of British Columbia, School of Social Work
Frankie immigrated from the Philippines at the age of 16, and this experience has shaped her interest in transnational family ties, intergenerational care relationships, and parent-adolescent acculturation.
Capri Kong
PhD Student
University of British Columbia, Department of Sociology
My research focuses on Transnational Social Networks, Identity Development, and Social Integration. My current project examines the friendship networks of immigrant generations and their impacts on Canadians’ sense of belonging.
Gabrielle Abando
MA Student
University of British Columbia, Department of Sociology
My research interests lie in social infrastructure and it’s relationship with the longevity of immigrant communities through co-ethnic community bonding, social capital deployment, and intergenerational cultural identity development. My current project investigates the mechanisms of immigrant enclaves in promoting immigrant community longevity through a case study of a well-known Vancouver neighbourhood for Filipino-Canadians.
Dr. Judith Valerie Engel
DMA Candidate
University of British Columbia, School of Music
Judith Valerie is an Austrian musicologist, concert pianist, and feminist scholar. She holds a DPhil (PhD) in Historical Musicology from the University of Oxford and is currently pursuing a DMA in Piano Performance at the University of British Columbia, funded through the I2 Lab at the Department of Sociology. At UBC, she is one of the university’s Public Scholars, investigating how professional identities of contemporary Canadian women composers are shaped by – and intersect with – age, gender, the myth of meritocracy, and the dominant narrative of white male genius in classical music.
Dania Othman
Undergraduate Research Assistant
University of British Columbia, Department of Sociology
My research interests focus on family relationships in
the context of migration, particularly how families and
communities access resources, build support networks, and navigate life in new countries.
Karissa Ketter
MA Student
University of British Columbia, Department of Sociology
My research interests include housing market inequalities and digital surveillance technologies. I have previously researched how automated forms of surveillance and socio-spatial stratification impact marginalized communities globally. My current research looks at historical urban planning and mortgage lending systems in Vancouver, Canada and London, England
Former Team Members
We appreciate our former team members with gratitude for their invaluable contributions that have shaped our journey.
Teodora Rawsthorne Eckmyn
BA Honours Student
University of British Columbia, Department of Sociology
Teodora grew up as a settler on the unceded lands of the Coast Salish nations. Her research interests lie in the areas of cultural and urban sociology, to which she seeks to apply a critical intersectional lens.
Rowen Francisco
BA Sociology Honours Student
University of British Columbia, Department of Sociology
My research interests lie in queer feminist theory, particularly regarding the deconstruction of patriarchal and heteronormative social norms. I am passionate about exploring the intricacies of queer community and its subversive potential. I am currently researching how queer conceptions of friendship can be used to disrupt patriarchal ideologies of kinship and family.
Tsz Chung Ngai
MSW Student
University of British Columbia, School of Social Work
My research interests include social networks, social integration and settlement experience. My current project explores the settlement experience and the integration process of Hong Kong Residents Recently Arrived in Canada.
Learn About Student Research Project
Our students at the Infrastructure and Integration Lab dive into unique projects, exploring the dynamic web of infrastructure and integration within diverse communities in Canada.
The Infrastructure and Integration Lab 