Notable Alumni

Sarah Yercich

PhD Criminology, 2021

Sarah Yercich (she/her) is a multi- and interdisciplinary researcher, activist, and teaching scholar focused on violence against women, children/youth, and gender diverse communities, as well as knowledge mobilization, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and prison education. Her expertise spans the disciplines of criminology, sociology, socio-legal studies, social justice, and women's and gender studies. Sarah is an award-winning educator, including, most recently, the 2025 West Coast Teaching Excellence Award. She holds a PhD. in Criminology (2021) from Simon Fraser University and an MSc in Applied Criminology (2009) from Northern Arizona University.

Sarah is the Co-Director of the FREDA Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Children, housed in the School of Criminology at Simon Fraser University. The FREDA Centre is a non-profit community-engaged research centre with a focus on addressing gender-based violence through law, policy, and practice and is a founding member of the Alliance of Canadian Research Centres on Gender-Based Violence. She is a faculty member in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at Capilano University and an Adjunct Professor in the School of Criminology at Simon Fraser University. At Capilano University, Sarah holds a cross appointment in the Women’s and Gender Studies Department, where she is currently serving as the Department Head.

Her current research involves large-scale national projects such as the Alliance Against Violence and Adversity (AVA) and From Awareness to Action: Moving from screening and assessment to developing appropriate parenting plans after family violence in the family justice system, as well as recent local collaborations with the Office of the BC Human Rights Commissioner and Office of the Representative for Children and Youth. Sarah is also the Editor of the Western Criminologist, a member of AVA’s Leadership Team, an AVA Early Career Researcher, and the Host of AVA’s Webinar Series.