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Research Interests

International Relations, International Security, Privatization of security, Private security actors in Africa, Security Governance, Global North – Global South relations, African Security, African politics.

Brief Biography

Benjamin is a Ph.D. candidate with the Department of Political Studies at ���˴�Ƭ, specializing in International Relations and Comparative Politics. Originally from Ghana, he graduated with first-class honours from the University of Ghana. His pursuit of higher education led him to Canada, where he pursued an MA in political science at Dalhousie University and won several awards. At Dalhousie University, his thesis sought to understand why private security services have become a necessary evil in sub-Saharan Africa.

Benjamin's research interests cut across several areas in political science with a primary focus on security governance, and private security actors/services in Africa. During his doctoral studies at Queen’s University, he remains committed to delving deeper into these areas, concentrating on private security actors within Africa’s extractive sectors.

Selected Awards and Scholarships

2024 - Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)

2024 - Best Conference Paper Award - Mapping the Global Dimensions of Policy 13th Annual Conference, McMaster University

2023 - Margaret Anderson Graduate Scholarship: Queen’s University

2023 - Robert Sutherland Fellowship: Queen’s University

2020 - 2021 - Keens-Morden Scholarship: Dalhousie University

2020 - 2021 - Shaw-Parpart Scholarship: Dalhousie University

2020 - 2021 - Faculty of Graduate Studies Scholarship Award: Dalhousie University

2016 - Ghana and West African representative to the annual Korean Government Invitation Program for excellent Undergraduates from Major Partner Countries: MOFA, Government of South Korea

2015 – 2018 University of Ghana Scholarship

Selected Conference Presentations

May 2024 - Resource Nationalism(s) in the 21st Century Conference: Experiences, Innovations and Debates in the Global South, York University || Paper Presented: Resource Nationalism(s) for Whom? Agential Constructivist Insights from Botswana’s Diamond Sector.

March 2024 -  Mapping the Global Dimensions of Policy 13th Annual Conference, McMaster University || Paper Presented: Why Private Security has become unavoidable in West Africa: A Case of Niger Delta Region and North-Eastern Nigeria. 

Teaching

POLS 262 - International Political Economy (Head Teaching Assistant)     

POLS 110 - Introduction to Politics and Government (Teaching Assistant)

POLS 112 - Introduction to Politics (Assistant Head Teaching Assistant)

Community Engagement

Outreach and Communications - Halifax-NS

Academic Service

Journal Reviewer — African Security

Research Interests

Gender and Politics; Institutions; Canadian Politics; Canadian Government; Gender Studies; Policymaking; Feminist Institutionalism; Violence Against Women; Canadian Political Parties

Brief Biography

Claire is a third year PhD Candidate studying in the Political Studies department at Queen’s University. Her first field of study is Gender and Politics, and second is Canadian Politics. Claire’s research focuses on intersectional forms of Violence Against Women in Politics (VAWIP). Her dissertation focuses on experiences of online VAWIP and the intersection of race and gender in Canadian politics.

Publications

(Book Review) Mountford C. A Review of Gender-Based Violence in Canadian Politics in the #MeToo Era edited by Tracey Raney and Cheryl Collier. Canadian Journal of Political Science. Published online 2025:1-2. doi:10.1017/S0008423925100796.

Wong, O., Mountford, C., and Von-Hlatky, S. Divide and Conquer: Russia’s Anti-West Campaign and Gender-Based Disinformation. International Journal. (forthcoming, summer 2026)

Conference Presentations

Westlake, Daniel, Robbins-Kanter, Jacob and Mountford, Claire, “Gender Identity and Candidate-Self Presentation: Assessing Provincial Election Candidates in Ontario and Quebec” Canadian Political Science Association Annual Conference. Toronto, Ontario. (2025)

Von-Hlatky, Stéfanie and Mountford, Claire, “Analyzing Russian Gender-Based Disinformation Narratives: An Analysis of Russia Today” Canadian Security Amid Global Change Research Symposium. Toronto, Ontario. (2025)

Mountford, Claire, “To Sanction or not to Sanction: Party Responses to Allegations of Sexual Violence” Presentation at the British Association of Canadian Studies (BACS) Annual Conference. Scotland, United Kingdom. (2025)

Wong, Owen and Mountford, Claire, “Analyzing Russian Gender-Based Disinformation Narratives: An Analysis of the EU Disinfo Dataset” Canadian Political Science Association Annual Conference. Montreal, Quebec. (2024)

Mountford, Claire, “To Sanction or not to Sanction: Party Responses to Allegations of Sexual Violence” Canadian Political Science Association Annual Conference. Montreal, Quebec. (2024)

Selected Awards

• SSHRC Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral (2026-29)
• Trevor C. Holland Fellowship, Queen’s University (2025, declined in order to accept OGS)
• Ontario Graduate Scholarship, Queen’s University (2025)
• Stanley Drabek Graduate Award, Queen’s University (2025)
• R. Samuel McLaughlin Fellowship, Queen’s University (2024)
• Faculty of Arts and Science Award for Social Justice, Queen’s University (2023)
• Ontario Graduate Scholarship, Queen’s University (2023)
• Canada Graduate Scholarship – Master’s, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (2022)
• Queen's Tri-Agency Recipient Recognition Award, Queen’s University (2022)

Teaching Experience

Bishop’s University – Instructor

POL*246 – The Politics of Gender and Sexuality, W26

Queen’s University – Course Co-Ordinator

POLS*111 – Power and Politics, F25

Queen’s University – Teaching Assistant

POLS*112 – Enduring Political Debates, W25

POLS*111 – Power and Politics, F24

POLS*212 – Canadian Politics, W24

POLS*110 – Introduction to Politics, F23, W24

Brief Biography

Chelsea is a doctoral student in the Department of Political Studies at ���˴�Ƭ where she specializes in International Relations and Comparative Politics. Chelsea holds an M.A. in Political Science from the University of Victoria and a B.A. (Hons.) in Political Studies from Queen's. 

Research Interests

Chelsea's research considers the global political economy of environmental governance. She is particularly interested in understanding the multi-scalar governance of climate mobility from an ecologically-oriented historical materialist perspective. More broadly, Chelsea is interested in identifying the global relations of power that deliver uneven socio-ecological outcomes in the context of climate change.

Awards

Ontario Graduate Scholarship (2023-2024)

Dean's Award for Global Sustainability (2023-2024)

Queen's Graduate Award (2023-2024)

Research Interests

Canadian politics, courts, law and politics, federalism, constitutional law, rights, policymaking, criminal justice

Brief Biography

Brendan Dell is a doctoral student in the Department of Political Studies at ���˴�Ƭ working under the co-supervision of Dr. Stéphanie Chouinard and Dr. Paul Gardner. He received both his bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice and Public Policy and master's degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice Policy from the University of Guelph.

Brendan's research focuses broadly on Canadian law and politics. Specifically, his research explores the relationship between the government and the judiciary on constitutional issues (such as the Charter of Rights and Freedoms). His dissertation explores the strategic use of courts by provincial governments in constitutional cases.

Awards and scholarships 

• 2023 Ontario Graduate Scholarship (���˴�Ƭ)
• 2021 SSHRC Canadian Graduate Scholarship - Master's (University of Guelph)
• 2020 John F. Melby Thesis Prize (University of Guelph)
  • Awarded for highest Honours thesis grade in the Department of Political Science
• 2020 Ontario Graduate Scholarship (University of Guelph)

Brief Biography

Cindy Cruz is a doctoral student within the Department of Political Studies at Queen’s University. Her research focuses on the Canadian Armed Forces organization and members within, including elements such as civilian military relations, security, and international relations. She has a multi-disciplinary background with a BA in Criminology, Sociology, and an MA in Sociology.

Research Interests

Peacebuilding, International Institutions, Localized conflicts, African politics

Brief Biography

Emmanuel Ampomah is a doctoral student in the Department of Political Studies at Queen’s University. Prior to joining Queen’s he was a researcher at the Human Sciences Research Council’s Equitable Education and Economies research division in South Africa. He holds a master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Cape Town and a BA (honors) degree in Philosophy and Political Science from the University of Ghana. Emmanuel has presented his research at international conferences in Tanzania, USA, Germany, Belgium and Kenya. He is passionate about peacebuilding, youth, and development in Africa.

Awards

• Mastercard Foundation Scholar (2018-2019), University of Cape Town
• Ontario Graduate Scholarship (International), 2025, ���˴�Ƭ
• Timothy C.S. Franks Research Travel Fund, ���˴�Ƭ
• Peacock Research Award, ���˴�Ƭ

Brief Biography

Caroline is the Skelton-Clark Post-Doctoral Fellow, teaching POLS 300- and 400-level courses in Winter 2024. Caroline studies Canadian foreign policy, the United Nations Security Council, diplomacy, and settler colonialism in Canada. She holds a PhD from the University of Ottawa, where she has also been a Research Associate at the Centre for International Policy Studies. She also holds an MA from The George Washington University, an MA from the University of Ottawa, and a Bachelor of Knowledge Integration from the University of Waterloo. Outside of academia, she has worked at Global Affairs Canada, including as a Senior Policy Analyst in Foreign Policy Planning and the Cadieux-Léger Fellow. She is currently the Book Reviews Editor at International Journal. For more information on Caroline’s research, please visit her .

Teaching

For detailed information about political studies courses and instructors, please refer to the Undergraduate and Graduate pages.