About

Population & Security is an online magazine directed by Professor Isabelle Côté that answers the most pressing political and security issues related to population dynamics and policies around the world.     

Analysis comes from up-and-coming junior scholars from Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador and beyond who are doing interesting, rigorous as well as policy-relevant research. 

Population & Security is supported by SSHRC. 

The Editor

Isabelle Côté is an Associate Professor in Political Science and the Director of the Nexus Interdisciplinary Centre at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador (MUNL), St John’s, Canada. Her work examines the role of population dynamics –especially internal migration- on contentious politics and ‘Sons of the Soil’ conflict in Asia and beyond. She received her PhD in Political Science from the University of Toronto, and has held various guest researcher positions in China, Indonesia, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands. She has published dozens of articles on migration and conflict in scholarly journals and edited volumes, and has co-edited two books, People Changing Places: New Perspectives on Demography, Migration, Conflict and the State (Routledge 2019, with Matthew I. Mitchell and Monica Duffy Toft),and Resettlement: Uprooting and Rebuilding Communities in Newfoundland and Labrador and Beyond (ISER Books, 2020, with Yolande Pottie-Sherman).She was the recipient of numerous awards and grants, most notably the 2020 Canadian Political Science Association Teaching Award.  

Managing Editor

Kathleen “Kath” Katruskha Moreno (she/her) is a MA Candidate (thesis) in Political Science at Memorial University of Newfoundland & Labrador and the current Vice-President for Academic Affairs of Political Science Graduate Students’ Society at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. Some of her research interests include conflict and security, specifically preventing and countering violent extremism, gender and political behavior, and international relations. Prior to joining Memorial, she worked as Senior Programme Manager for the UK Government under the British Embassy in Manila for more than five years, where she provided conflict/political analysis and managed the UK’s biggest programme of support on counterterrorism and peace and conflict resolution in the southern Philippines.  She also served as Programme Officer for the Office of the President of the Philippines, Malacanan Palace, from 2014-2016, where she was part of a team that led on Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) programmes and matters relating to peace and security at the national level. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication (consistent Dean’s Lister), Major in Broadcasting, from Centro Escolar University – Philippines. 

assistant Managing EditorS

Louis-Charles Vaillancourt (he/him) is a MA student in Political Science (thesis route) at the Memorial University of Newfoundland. Louis-Charles completed his bachelor’s degree in Political Science at the University of New Brunswick. For the past 2 years, he has been conducting research for the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, looking at social acceptability for renewable energy projects. He also conducted research on bitcoin and blockchain in association with the University of Oslo. Finally, Louis-Charles also currently has some RA responsibilities with Dr. Côté. 

Mariam Abdul Majeed (she/her) is an MA candidate (thesis) in Political Science at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador (MUN). She had her MA degree in International Relations and BA in Political Science (major) and Archaeology (minor), both from the University of Ghana. Her MA thesis focused on ECOWAS’ role in managing Mali’s unconstitutional change of government. Before joining the Population and Security Editorial Board, Mariam worked as a graduate assistant (GA) at the political science department at MUN and currently serves as a member of the Sexual Harassment Committee of the Teaching Assistants Union of MUN (TAUMUN). Her research interests include contentious politics, peace and conflict studies, international relations, and African governance and security.

Rubiat Saimum is a graduate student of department of political science at Memorial University of Newfoundland. He has previously worked as a lecturer in the Department of Maritime Security and Strategic Studies at BSMR Maritime University, Bangladesh and a researcher at Bangladesh Institute of Maritime Research and Development (BIMRAD). He is a Junior Research Fellow at NATO Association of Canada. He was also a fellow at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI APCSS), a non-resident fellow at Indo-
Pacific Studies Centre and South Asian Future Fellow at Council for Strategic and Defense Research (CSDR). He is also a young leader at Pacific Forum. His policy pieces have appeared in the East Asia Forum, International Policy Digest, Dhaka Tribune, Asia Times, and Modern Diplomacy. His peer-reviewed articles have been featured in China Report, Australian Journal of Maritime and Ocean Affairs, and the Journal of Bangladesh and Global Affairs. His core research interests are foreign policy formulation, Regional Security Complex, Maritime Security and governance, and South Asian regional politics.

editorial assistants

Anna Philpott is currently in her third year of studying political science with a minor in psychology. During her time at university, she served as editor of Memorial University’s student newspaper, The Muse, where she explored complex issues like the Palestinian-Israeli conflict through interviews with Palestinian students, the MUN’s tuition hike, and climate strike initiatives. She also worked as a research assistant in ALS studies at The Miller Centre, collaborating with physiatrists and physical therapists to explore ways of improving mobility for ALS patients.

Haley Tucker (she/her) is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (hons) at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. Haley is a philanthropic research assistant at Memorial University’s Office of Development, and spent this past summer working with the Library of Parliament as a guide, educating visitors on Canada’s parliamentary processes and history.  Her research interests include migration and security, environmental politics, and ethnic conflict.

Aneeta Johnson (she/her) is a fifth-year undergraduate student at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, completing a Bachelor of Commerce (co-op) Degree and minoring in Political Science. She is also an undergraduate student tutor in the MUN Writing Centre and has completed three work terms with the Community Development branch of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), a federal regional development agency. Aneeta is pursuing a career in International Development, intending to focus her research on human rights and the impact of education and compassion on poverty cycles, specifically as they relate to women in the global south.

former members

Managing Editor/ Sarah Worthman (she/her) is a MA Candidate (thesis) in Political Science at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. She is also the founder and executive director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Queer Research Initiative, a grassroots organization that was established to commemorate the 2SLGBTQ+ histories of NL. Her research interests include: human security, political violence, and queer theory. Sarah earned her International Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. During her undergraduate degree, she had the opportunity work for an international feminist NGO at their headquarters in India. While working in India, Sarah developed and led numerous workshops on the topic of women’s rights for participants from all over the world.

Managing Editor/ Reyna Ericka Padua (she/her) is a MA student in Political Science at Memorial University of Newfoundland & Labrador, Graduate Assistant at Nexus Research Centre, Page at Newfoundland House of Assembly and the current President of Women in CyberSecurity, MUNL Chapter.  Ericka earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communication, cum laude, from Angeles University Foundation in the Philippines. After graduation, she worked as a news correspondent, multimedia director, and radio host before moving to South Korea in November 2015 to work for Overseas Business Division for an automotive company. Ericka was provided the opportunity to travel to different countries to meet and transact with the company’s customers and suppliers which after some time found that she was rediscovering an interest in foreign policy, migration, and international relations.

Mark Davis Madarang Pablo is a MA Candidate (thesis) in Political Science at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador – Canada. Some of his research interests and expertise include preventing and countering violent extremism and insurgency, homeland security, and settler colonialism. Prior to his stint at Memorial, he worked as a National Security Analyst in the Philippines for seven years—delivering strategic research for the national government, domestic and international think tanks, and directing high-impact policy advocacy campaigns on national security areas of interest. He held various posts in the public and private sectors, including in the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. He completed his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy from the Ateneo de Manila University – Philippines; and Master of Science in Strategic Studies, with Certificate in Terrorism Studies from S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University – Singapore. 

Meret Ebsary (she/her) is a fourth-year undergraduate student pursuing an International Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science (hons) at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. Her research interests include international relations, conflict and security, human rights, political theory, and gender and politics. Meret has recently completed her honours thesis for which she was awarded the 2022-2023 Susan McCorquodale Memorial Scholarship. Her thesis, titled “Opposing History: The Story of Women’s Political Autonomy in Newfoundland”, focused on an original theoretical analysis of the history of women’s suffrage in Newfoundland. She has since had the opportunity to present her work numerous times and has been a guest lecturer for introductory political theory classes. Meret is also an undergraduate student tutor in the writing centre and spends her summers working as an environmental educator at Memorial University’s Botanical Garden. 

Hazera Khanam (she/her) is a MA student (Thesis) in Political Science at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. Currently, she works as a Research Fellow for Stephen Jarislowky Chair, Department of Economics here at MUN. She has a degree of Master in Social Science (MSS) in International Relations from University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Her research interests include migration and national security, counter-terrorism, violent extremism, and refugee crisis.  She previously worked as a research associate with the UNDP-funded ‘Bangladesh Peace Observatory’, which promotes peace initiatives to reduce violence across the country. Hazera was involved in a range of research projects on electoral violence with the Bangladesh Election Commission, as well as projects on drug-related violence and on Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. She was also a member of the editorial team responsible for the publication of ‘History of Violent Extremism in Bangladesh’ in eight volumes in 2022. 

Asude (a:su:deə) Kaplan (she/her) is a Master’s student (thesis route) in Political Science at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. Before joining the editorial team of Population and Security, she worked as a teaching assistant at MUNL; and as a research assistant at Sabanci University (Istanbul, Turkey), and Bilkent University (Ankara, Turkey). She completed her undergraduate major degree in Political Science cum laude, and minor degree in Turkish Literature summa cum laude at Bilkent University, Turkey. Her research interests are political theorization, democratic backsliding, democratization, and comparative politics. Asude is pursuing a career in academia, focusing on authoritarianism and societal processes.

Mark Walbourne is a MA student (Internship) in Political Science at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. Before beginning his MA, Mark previously completed a joint-undergraduate degree in Economics and Political Science. As an undergraduate student, he worked as an editorial assistant for the Population and Security blog before joining the editorial team. He also had the opportunity to complete an Honours Essay in Economics. His thesis looked at how labour outcomes, specifically wages and job security, had been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. His research interests include international politics, international and domestic security, economics and economic security and public policy.