March 6, 2025 - A new cohort of tenure-track faculty members is being welcomed to Laurentian University this winter. With a wide range of expertise and a shared passion for teaching, their work will enrich classrooms, drive innovative research, and foster meaningful community partnerships.
"The addition of this exceptional group of faculty members strengthens our commitment to scholarly excellence and innovation," says Dr. Malcolm Campbell, Provost and Vice-President Academic. "Their expertise spans diverse fields, from sustainable mining and environmental chemistry to Indigenous research methodologies and early childhood development. We welcome them to Laurentian University, where we know they will inspire students, contribute to impactful research, and benefit from our strong connections to the North and beyond.”
Laurentian’s academic mission is energized by faculty, staff, and students who push boundaries to advance knowledge and understanding. Through their research and teaching, these new faculty members will help expand Laurentian’s northern impact, Indigenous education, and interdisciplinary innovation.
Eleven of the newly appointed tenure-track faculty members are listed by Faculty below.
Faculty of Arts
Corrie Vendetti she/her/elle, School of Social Sciences
- Research interests: Children's social and moral cognition, including Theory of Mind, lie-telling, and how young children figure out complex social things
- Why are you excited about joining Laurentian University? I actually completed my undergraduate at Laurentian in Experimental Psychology. I had a wonderful and rigorous experience at Laurentian and I went on to graduate school and thrived. After nearly ten years working in my field in Applied Psychology settings, I am thrilled to be back in academia and I hope very much to mentor and support students, through teaching and research, to give them the same strong start I had.
Joline Guitard, she/her/elle, School of Social Sciences
- Research interests: Positive psychology (i.e., well-being, gratitude and mindfulness), Social cognition, Cognitive biases
- Why are you excited about joining Laurentian University? I am looking forward to engaging students in research and to show them how fun research can be!
Brent [Ahnungoonhs] Debassige, inin/he/him/il, School of Liberal Arts
- Research interests: Indigenous Land-Based Education, First Nations Education, Indigenous Knowledge, Indigenous Research Methodologies
- Why are you excited about joining Laurentian University? As a Laurentian University and University of Sudbury alumnus of the Bachelor of Arts (honours) program with a double concentration in Political Science and Native Studies, I am thrilled to return to the place where I was supported during the initial stages of my scholarly learning. In my current research, I have cultivated strong partnerships with First Nations communities in northern and southwestern Ontario. I am overjoyed to move back into the territory of the Robinson Huron Treaty and close to my home community of M’Chigeeng First Nation on Mnidoo Mnising (Manitoulin Island).
Faculty of Science, Engineering, and Architecture
Ezzeddin (Ezz) Bakhtavar, he/him/il, Bharti School of Engineering and Computer Science
- Research interests: Sustainable Mining, Digital Mining Transformation, Industry 5.0, Multi-Objective Optimization
- Why are you excited about joining Laurentian University? I am excited to join Laurentian because of its strong focus on mining engineering, interdisciplinary research opportunities, and commitment to sustainability. I look forward to contributing my expertise in underground mine optimization and sustainable mining while collaborating with faculty and students to drive impactful research and innovation.
Janice Kenney, she/her/elle, School of Natural Sciences
- Research interests: Environmental Chemistry, Geochemistry, Geomicrobiology
- Why are you excited about joining Laurentian University? I am excited to join Laurentian because it offers a unique opportunity to advance my research in environmental analytical chemistry while contributing to a community that values hands-on, interdisciplinary learning. Laurentian’s location in Sudbury, Ontario—a region with a rich mining history—provides an ideal setting for studying metal contamination, allowing me to develop innovative sorption-based remediation strategies that have direct local and global applications.
Faculty of Education and Health
Jennifer-Lynn Fournier, she/her/elle, School of Nursing
- Research interests: Nurse practitioner career trajectories, clinical supervision, coping, practice during global crisis
- Why are you excited about joining Laurentian University? Laurentian has been my academic home for many years, first as a graduate student (Nurse Practitioner, PhD Rural and Northern Health) and then as a sessional faculty member. The current appointment provides me with an opportunity to serve our community while supporting learners who will make meaningful contributions to society and to healthcare. I am honoured to return to Laurentian.
Jonathan Binet, he/him/il, School of Social Work
- Research interests: Transitions to Adulthood, Precarity, precariousness, vulnerability, marginality, exclusion, neoliberalism, activation policies, workfare, integration practices, behavioral addiction (work and video game addiction), biopolitics, contemporary normativity, social work supervision, ethnographic research.
- Why are you excited about joining Laurentian University? I am excited to join the dynamic team at Laurentian, whose members are passionate about research, teaching and practice of social intervention. Moving to Sudbury is also an opportunity for me to get closer to the francophone and First Nations communities of Ontario. Having developed projects on young people and social life in mining communities in recent years, I am very motivated to discover this side of Sudbury in the years to come and to participate in projects that will contribute to the development of its communities.
Shannon McGee-Felton, she/her/elle, School of Nursing
- Research interests: Educational and health issues involving Francophone populations of all ages living in Northern and Rural communities
- Why are you excited about joining Laurentian University? Nursing is my passion and joining Laurentian University in this capacity allows me to educate students in the nursing programs, to further support healthcare in the many bilingual speaking communities across the province of Ontario.
Keri Cheechoo, iskwew/she/her/elle, School of Indigenous Relations
- Research interest: Indigenous Pedagogy, Indigenous Education, Treaty Education, Sovereignty, Indigenous Women and Reproductive Health and Justice
- Why are you excited about joining Laurentian University? I am thrilled to join Laurentian because I have an opportunity to make relationships, make community and network with the Indigenous brilliance already existing within the School. I am also incredibly keen to meet and potentially collaborate with my new colleagues in other Faculties and Schools across Laurentian University!
Candace Brunette-Debassige, iskwew/she/her/elle, School of Indigenous Relations
- Research interests: Research methodologies: Indigenous, decolonizing and narrative approaches
- Why are you excited about joining Laurentian University? I am excited to join the amazing group of people in the School of Indigenous Relations. I am also proud to join a university that embodies a tricultural mandate including a commitment to working with Indigenous communities and serving the north.
Library & Archives
Michael McArthur, he/him/il, Health and Data Librarian
- Research interests: Librarian role within knowledge synthesis, Connecting research(ers) using persistent identifiers, Point-of-care tools in clinical practice
- Why are you excited about joining Laurentian University? Laurentian University is my undergraduate alma mater, and I'm excited to work for an institution that has given me so many opportunities in my life.