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.
Maxfield Nadeau-DaCruz
MA Student
University of British Columbia, Department of Sociology
My research interests lie in the sociological exploration of alternative masculinities, with regard to queer identity, womanhood, and transness. I am passionate about understanding the ways that queer women construct masculine identities and roles in ways that subvert the mainstream idea of manliness. My current project a historical analysis of the lesbian feminist movement and their rejection and fascination with butch lesbians.
Former Team Members
We appreciate our former team members with gratitude for their invaluable contributions that have shaped our journey.
Karissa Ketter
MA Student
University of British Columbia, Department of Sociology
Rowen Francisco
BA Sociology Honours
University of British Columbia, Department of Sociology
Teodora Rawsthorne Eckmyn
BA Honours
University of British Columbia, Department of Sociology
Tsz Chung Ngai
MSW Student
University of British Columbia, School of Social Work
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.
isquaredlab.ca 