Summer 2020 Graduate Fellows

Aphrodite Bouikidis

Aphrodite Bouikidis is a master’s student in the Urban Studies program.  She has 10 years of experience working on urban resilience, social innovation, diaspora engagement, and democratic governance. She worked with the City of Thessaloniki in Greece to develop and implement a city resilience strategy, and launched Ashoka Greece. Aphrodite has served as an expert practitioner in urban policy programs with city leaders and experts from multiple cities in the U.S. and Europe. She holds an MA in International Relations (University of Chicago) and her current research interests include local governance and social infrastructure in community and urban resilience.

Aman Chandi

Aman Chandi is currently pursuing her master’s in Urban Studies at SFU, with research interests grounded in grassroots citizenship, asset-based community development and guerrilla gardening. As a community organizer and community-based researcher, she is diligently working to bring people together, to start conversations and to bridge boundaries.

In addition to her role at CERi, Aman is a Communicator and Events Coordinator with the SFU Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies and Indigenous Studies, and a Research Assistant with SFU Carnegie Community Engagement Classification - Canadian Pilot Cohort. 

Vanessa Fong

Vanessa Fong is a PhD student in the Experimental Developmental Psychology program at Simon Fraser University. Her research focuses on examining quality of life in culturally diverse families raising children with Autism Spectrum Disorder from a patient-oriented framework. Throughout her graduate studies she has become deeply committed to advancing community engaged research in the field of neurodevelopmental disabilities. She hopes that bridging the gap between the scientific and autism community through engagement and collaboration will help prioritize research that is meaningful and relevant to the very individuals impacted.

Kacia Tolsma

Kacia Tolsma is a second-year graduate student in the School of Resource and Environmental Management (Planning). Currently, Kacia is working with the Adaptation to Climate Change Team (ACT) at SFU, developing a Regional Green Infrastructure Community of Practice, and on the Integrated Climate Action for BC Communities Initiative. Her research focuses on the intersection between green infrastructure, natural assets, and public engagement. Kacia was the 2019/2020 Co-President of the REM Planning Students Association, and the recipient of the 2019 CIP President’s Scholarship. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Human Geography from the University of Victoria.