People

Dr. Foster is a sociologist whose research and writing spans the sociology of work, rural sociology, political economy and historical sociology. She has drawn on both qualitative and quantitative methods to study economic issues from a sociological perspective: occupational succession in rural family businesses, housing desires among rural and urban young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder, local economic development, the history of productivity as a statistic and a concept, generational divisions at work, young peoples’ experiences on social assistance, and youth outmigration from rural communities. 

Coming from a background in economics and economic development, Hannah does work around rural development in the Atlantic Canadian context. Her PhD research focuses on the role of rural schools and the impact of rural school closures on communities, and she has interest in agriculture, tourism, and rural youth.

Alyssa is interested in economic sociology. Her PhD research focuses on personal debt in Atlantic Canada. and how it shapes peoples' livelihoods and economic wellbeing. She also examines how personal debt is socially experienced in peoples' everyday lives. Alyssa has been a supervisor on a number of surveys conducted through the RRFC since its opening in 2019.

As a member of the Perceptions of Change Project research team, Rachel is studying social, economic, and political change in Atlantic Canada. She conducted a survey on the political views and practices of Atlantic Canadians through the RFRC in January 2019 for her MA thesis, and has now begun a PhD in Sociology.

Dr. leBrasseur is a rural-urbanist and environmental psychologist focussing on the peri-rural landscapes of Nova Scotia and other urbanizing communities. He studies the socio-emotional benefits of greenspace interaction within diverse cultures which contributes to the dialogue among ecosystem services and sustainable development. His diverse research allows spatial planners to recognize complex landscape-human processes in relational terms, where strategic interventions reduce impacts to underrepresented people and place, and promote ecological justice towards healthy community living.

Dr. leBrasseur directs the Green Infrastructure Performance Lab at Dalhousie University and applies Rural Urbanism as a planning strategy which places the natural and agricultural landscape as the defining factors to spatially locate future land use needs and urban requirements for rural communities. The expansion of metropolitan areas continues to bring a myriad of environmental and socio-economic impacts to residents. Studies of rural development have revealed patterns of inequality globally, including less access to and use of greenspaces. The benefits of rural landscapes is well supported, yet vulnerability and environmental risk within marginalized and underserved communities continue. Dr. leBrasseur has published extensively on how greenspaces synergize human wellbeing pathways, enabling healthier communities using citizen science and knowledge co-production.
 

Dr. MacLeod is an anthropologist, based in Sydney Nova Scotia, whose work focuses on rurality, food insecurity, and the role of social infrastructure in fostering resilient communities.  She is the Manager of Faculty Development with the Cape Breton Medical Campus, where she supports initiatives aimed at training future physicians with a strong emphasis on rural medicine. She is also an Instructor in the School of Arts and Social Sciences at Cape Breton University. 

She integrates research with community engagement to reimagine rural infrastructure in ways that promote equity and well-being. This focus was deepened during her Postdoctoral Fellowship with the Sociable Cities Project at the University of Guelph, where she explored how built environments shape sociability and belonging, and long-time involvement with the Cape Breton Food Hub. Dr. MacLeod now contributes to the Beyond the Bank project, led by New Dawn Community Engagement and Nova Scotia Health, in partnership with Cape Breton University, the Nova Scotia Department of Opportunities and Social Development, local municipalities, one Indigenous community, Community Health Boards, and various food service providers to determine in what ways community organizations are providing food-support to their communties.