Researchers
Dr. Lesley Frank
Director of the Fed Family Lab, Tier II Canada Research Chair in Food, Health and Social Justice, CCPA-NS Research Associate, Professor of Sociology
Dr. Lesley Frank is a trans-disciplinary social science scholar, skilled and committed to innovative, multi-sector, policy-relevant research related to food and health inequity experienced by marginalized populations and their children.
Dr. Jane Francis
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Dr. Jane Francis is a post-doctoral research fellow in the Fed Family Lab, Department of Sociology at Acadia University and a registered dietitian. She is particularly interested in community-based research, the design and delivery of lactation support interventions for marginalized populations and infant food insecurity.
Alyssa Gerhardt
PhD Candidate
Alyssa is a PhD Candidate in Sociology. She is a mixed-methods researcher and is interested economic sociology and social inequality, specifically the experiences and social costs of living with personal debt. Her other interests include food insecurity, labour studies and rural sociology.
Research Coordinator
Audrey Kruisselbrink
Audrey has worked as a research coordinator at Acadia, Dalhousie, Saint Mary's University, the University of Ottawa, and the Nova Scotia Health Authority. Her 10 years of applied experience as a social worker for the BC government has provided a strong background for managing large research projects.
Students
Current Students
Ruby Harrington
Research Assistant, Master's Student
Ruby is a Master's student in the Department of Politics at Acadia University. Her thesis work focuses on the role of informal networks of mothers as a policy response to the 2022 infant formula shortage in the United States and Canada.
Past Students
Kyle Chappus
Master's Student, 2022-2024
Kyle graduated with a Master's degree from the Department of Sociology at Acadia University in 2024. His thesis work focused on analyzing the role of the family resource sector in mitigating the harm of food insecurity in Nova Scotia and government policy approaches.
Karleigh Huskins
Honour's Student, 2022-2023, Bachelor of Arts in Sociology
Karleigh's research explored the social meanings of school food and eating using an ethnographic approach in a rural Nova Scotian elementary school.
Laura Fisher
Master's Student, 2019-2021
Laura received her Master's Degree in the Department of Sociology in 2021. While working with Dr. Lesley Frank, Laura conducted interviews with food insecure families of infants, and coded and analyzed data. Additionally, since 2019, Laura has assisted with the Nova Scotia Report Card on Child and Family Poverty. Laura is currently a PhD candidate at Dalhousie University.