BALSILLIE SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Jonathan Crush

Biography

Jonathan Crush was raised in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Swaziland. After obtaining his first degree at Cambridge University, he moved to Canada and completed his M.A. at Wilfrid Laurier University and Ph.D. at Queen's University. Jonathan is a frequent commentator on issues of migration, food security and xenophobia in the Global South and has consulted for the IOM, ILO, UNDP, UNAIDS, UNESCO, CIDA-CIC, OECD and various African governments.

Zhenzhong Si

Biography

Dr. Zhenzhong Si is the Project Research Manager of the MiFOOD Project. He holds a PhD in Geography from the University of Waterloo. Through the Hungry Cities Partnership, Zhenzhong investigates the dynamics of urban food systems in Nanjing, China with a particular focus on the role of wet markets in urban food security and its interactions with modern food outlets, household food security status and policies for food provisioning. Zhenzhong also leads the SSHRC Partnership Development Grant project that studies agroecology's potential for achieving the SDGs, and the SSHRC-funded project on COVID-19's impacts on food security in China and the CIHR-funded project on assessing and mitigating impacts of COVID-19 on food security in marginalized communities in Canada, South Africa and Ecuador. He published papers in development and agrifood themed journals and co-authored the book Organic Food and Farming in China: Top-down and Bottom-up Ecological Initiatives.

Liam Riley

Biography

Dr Liam Riley is an Adjunct Research Faculty member at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, Wilfrid Laurier University. He holds a PhD and MA in Geography from the University of Western Ontario and a BA from McGill University. Dr Riley's work highlights the intersection of gender, food, and urbanization in sub-Saharan Africa. This area of research draws together broad questions about social equity and inclusion, environmental and demographic change and the politics of development in African cities that sheds light on critical policy issues. Much of his work is focused on Malawi where he has been working since 2007.