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Courtney Dowdall

Research Assistant
Transforming Inquiry into Learning + Teaching

Biography

Courtney (She/her) is a PhD student in Criminology Simon Fraser University, within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. She holds a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice from the University of Winnipeg. Courtney is a nêhiyawak, kaskitêwayasit, êkwa Otipemisiwak (Cree, Blackfoot, and Métis) scholar whose work is guided by kihcihtwâwisiwin-nâkateyimowewin (sacred responsibility), relational accountability, and the Seven Generations Principle.

Courtney’s work is primarily in the area of family violence, with current projects focused on intimate partner violence and homicide escalation, parental alienation, coercive control, and the link between intimate partner violence and animal abuse. Courtney has experience with qualitative, mixed method, and community engaged research, as well as experience as a teaching assistant for multiple undergraduate criminology courses at SFU.

She has received several national and institutional academic distinctions, including the Governor General’s Academic Gold Medal and the University of Winnipeg Graduate Student of Highest Distinction Award. She has also received international recognition in 2025 at the Future of Women for her research on intimate partner violence escalation. Through Transforming Inquiry into Learning and Teaching (TILT), Courtney supports research that helps instructors strengthen teaching practice and better understand student learning at SFU.