Master's Students
Elianta Jaillet
Master's Student, McGill University
Elianta is a master student in the department of geography, having newly joined Prof. Riva’s lab after graduating from McGill with a BA&Sc Honours in Sustainability Science and Society in May 2024. Her research explores the polycrisis in the Northwest Territories, looking particularly at the convergence of the environmental, housing and energy crises in Yellowknife and the impact of their interconnection on the health of the local population.
Inès Lamothe-Katrapani
Master's Student, McGill University
Inès graduated from McGill in 2025 with a BA Honours in Urban Studies and Political Science, where she investigated the role of Conservation Authorities in Ontario. Her Master's research explores the intersection between urban planning, transportation and health equity, focusing on the experience of older adults living in Transit-Oriented Developments. As a research assistant, she contributes to ongoing research on community health in the arctic, energy precarity, and social resilience to extreme weather events.
Nadia Fekih
MASTER'S STUDENT, MCGILL UNIVERSITY
Nadia Fekih holds an Honours bachelor's degree in Environmental Health and Urban Studies from McGill University. She is interested in researching housing and health policy, especially as it pertains to addressing social (in)justice. With the generous support of the Arts Research Internship Award (ARIA), the Canadian Research Chair in Housing, Community, and Health, and the McGill Centre for Innovation in Storage and Conservation of Energy (McISCE), she has been working on a project called “The Depiction of Energy Poverty in Canadian Mainstream Media” since summer 2024.
PhD Students
Bavisha Thurairajah
PhD Student, McGill University
Bavisha began her PhD program in Geography Department at McGill university in the fall of 2024 after completing her MA in Geography under Prof. Riva's supervision. She joined the health geography lab as a research assistant in the summer of 2022 before starting her masters. Her doctoral research will focus on investigating the distribution and impacts of energy poverty among older Canadians using quantitative and qualitative methods, with attention to whether and how this housing issue presents challenges for healthy aging. Her research interests include housing as a social determinant of health, energy poverty and vulnerability, and the role of the built and social environments in aging. Bavisha is currently involved in the STAR Gloucester project as a research assistant.
Laurianne Debanné
PhD Candidate, McGill University
Laurianne is a PhD candidate in the Geography Department at McGill University. Through her doctoral research, Laurianne is exploring the intersection between energy poverty and housing in the context of Canada’s low-carbon energy transition and housing crisis. Using a mixed-methods and community-based approach, she is undertaking research in Nova Scotia, Québec, and Alberta to assess if energy poverty can be understood as a housing issue and addressed through housing interventions. At McGill since her undergraduate degree, she completed a Master’s in Geography in 2023 and a B.Sc. in Environmental Sciences in 2021. She joined Prof. Riva’s lab in 2020 and has been involved in many of the research group's different projects.
Morgen Bertheussen
PhD Candidate, McGill University
Morgen graduated from her master’s in Geography in February 2023 after completing her BA Honours in Ecological Determinants of Health at McGill's School of Environment. Her doctoral work focuses on the human dimensions of climate change and adaptation across Arctic coastal communities. Through her research, she aims to identify the various ways in which changing environments influence community health and well-being, as well as deepen our understanding of how we can effectively and meaningfully address these changes across disciplines, cultures, and knowledge systems. Currently, Morgen is involved in research partnerships with the Inuvialuit Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk (NWT), as well as with the Alaska Coastal Cooperative.
Postdoctoral Researchers
There are currently no Postdoctoral Researchers in the team. To get involved, see: Prospective Students.
Other Research Assistants
There are currently no Other Research Assistants in the team. To get involved, see: Prospective Students.
Honours Undergraduate Students
There are currently no Honours Undergraduate Students in the team. To get involved, see: Prospective Students.
Visiting Students
There are currently no Visiting Students in the team. To get involved, see: Prospective Students.
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