Lisa Freeman

Lisa Freeman is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Geography and Planning and Junior Fellow at the Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies at the University of Toronto. She will defend her dissertation, Licensing Rooms, Governing Displacement in June 2012. In the Fall 2012, Lisa will commence a SSRHC Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver with Dr. Nicholas Blomley at the Department of Geography. She will continue research on urban governance, municipal regulation and marginalization in suburban environments.

Experience as a Trudeau Scholar

My experience as a Trudeau Scholar was a highlight of my doctoral studies. Through the Foundation I became part of an extended community of colleagues that encouraged my critical thinking and pushed my research in directions I may not have otherwise followed. I was able to contextualize my study within an interdisciplinary academic environment, defend my methods and answer multiple questions about the relevancy of my research. In addition, the financial support of the Foundation provided me with multiple opportunities to substantially expand the scope of my research on the regulation of rooming houses in the suburbs of Toronto and the right to housing in Canada. I was able to incorporate new research methodologies and increase the number of interviews, geographical locations and data analysis. The Foundation's support, both community and financial, were fundamental to the completion and academic integrity of my doctoral research.