Eugena Kwon, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology,

Trent University, Ontario, Canada.

Hello & Thank you for visiting my website!

I am an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) in the Department of Sociology at Trent University. I completed a collaborative Ph.D. program in Sociology & Migration and Ethnic Relations at Western University.

I have a research interest in the following four inter-related research areas:

international migration (e.g., post-migration integration and settlement experiences of immigrants and international students);
sociology of work and occupations;
gender and professions; and
population health and well-being.

As a sociologist, my goal is to provide evidence-based research which can inform future policies surrounding international migration & population health and well-being – to make a meaningful academic and social impact. As such, my work involves close collaboration with community partners.

My projects are funded by various funding agencies (e.g., SSHRC, NSERC), and I currently hold approximately $780,000 of external grants through multiple projects (both as a principal investigator & as a co-applicant).

My work has been published in various academic venues: such as Gender Issues, Sociological Inquiry, Sleep Health, Canadian Ethnic Studies, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health and more.

Link to Google Scholar

Funded Projects:

PROJECT #1 & 2:

I am currently a Principal Investigator of two SSHRC-funded projects (Partnership Engage Grant & Insight Development Grant):

(1) SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant: “The changing nature of work and learning in the COVID-19 era and the impact on international students’ health and well-being in Nova Scotia.” $24,038.20.

Co-Applicants: Dr. Zhang, Dr. Smith, and Dr. Kwak
Collaborators: Dr. Sano and Dr. Jung
Community Partner: EduNova

(2) SSHRC Insight Development Grant: “The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on international students’ school-to-work transition and pathways to permanent residency.” $50,388.

Co-Applicants: Dr. Zhang, Dr. Smith, and Dr. Kwak
Collaborators: Dr. Sano and Dr. Tsuchiya, and Dr. Kyeremeh

Through SSHRC-PEG, our interdisciplinary team focuses on providing insight into international students’ challenges, concerns, and health and well-being in the midst of unprecedented academic and career uncertainty. Furthermore, our research will examine international students’ school-to-work transition experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic - to understand how this may impact their future pathways to permanent residency.

The objective of our SSHRC-IDG is to examine how international students are planning and navigating their school-to-work transition during the pandemic, and what supports they are receiving from their post-secondary institution, community, and government. Lastly, we consider how these may impact graduating international students’ decision to stay in Canada and consider applying for permanent residency in the future.

Overall, our research team's goal is to identify international students’ immediate needs during the COVID-19 crisis and help relevant stakeholders respond with an adequate support system for international students in a timely manner. Please visit our project website for further details (CLICK HERE).

NSIS Project (Click to read more)

PROJECT #3:

As a Principal Investigator, I am a recipient of the CLARI Action Research Grant, for a project titled “COVID-19 and Immigrant Population in Nova Scotia.” $7375.98.

Community Partner: PLANifax

PROJECT #4:

I am one of the Co-Applicant of the SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant, for a project titled “The Socio-Economic Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Immigrant Entrepreneurship.” $24,000.

Principle Investigator: Dr. Kwak
Co-Applicants: Dr. Sano and Andrew M. Leverman
Community Partner: Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS)

PROJECT #5:

I am one of the Co-Applicant of the NSERC Alliance COVID-19 Grant, for a project titled “How is Canadians’ mental health are affected by COVID-19? Visual analytics of social media text.” $50,000.

Principle Investigator: Dr. Milios
Co-Applicants: Dr. Meier and Dr. Tastsoglou
Collaborators: Dr. Dang
Community Partner: Diversio

PROJECT #6:

I am one of the Co-Applicant of the New Frontiers in Research Fund – Exploration Grant, for a project titled “Visual analytics for text-intensive social science research on immigration.” $250,000.

Co-Principle Investigator: Dr. Milios & Dr. Tastsoglou
Collaborators: Ana Maguitman and Axel Soto

PROJECT #7:

I am one of the Co-Applicant of the SSHRC Insight Development Grant, for a project titled “Optimal Covid 19 Vaccine Allocation Strategy Using Machine Learning and Big Data Analytics.” $46,218.

Principle Investigator: Dr. Zhang
Co-Applicants: Dr. Chen, Dr. Smith, and Dr. Drira
Collaborators: Ana Maguitman and Axel Soto

PROJECT #8:

I am also one of the Co-Applicant of the SSHRC Insight Grant, for a project titled “Becoming Included through Inclusion: Redesigning employee on-boarding to increase wellbeing and performance.” $328,500.

Principle Investigator: Dr. Vurain Tabvuma
Co-Applicants: Dr. Smith, and Dr. Sewell
Collaborators: Dr. Tom Brophy, Deborah Brothers-Scott, and Katelynn Carter-Rogers

Contact

Eugena Kwon, PhD.

Assistant Professor

Department of Sociology

Trent University, Ontario, Canada.

Email Address:

eugenakwon@trentu.ca