Debra Mackinnon

Debra Mackinnon is an Assistant Professor in Interdisciplinary Studies at Lakehead University's Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, where she holds the prestigious Lakehead University Faculty of Social Science and Humanities Research Chair in Social Change, Technology, and Justice (2025-2027). Previously, she was a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Windsor, a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Calgary (geography), and a visiting scholar at the University of Essex (sociology).

Dr. Mackinnon's research program spans five interconnected domains: (1) urban and community governance, (2) private security and surveillance, (3) technology, (4) policy, law, and regulation, and (5) innovative qualitative methodologies. Her work critically examines the intersection of technology, surveillance, and social justice, with particular focus on platform urbanism, policing practices, and the implications of emerging technologies for community relations. She currently leads SSHRC-funded projects examining safety and security in Ontario public libraries and the securitization of private data centers.

Her publication record includes articles in Urban Studies, Surveillance and Society, and the Canadian Journal of Sociology, along with the co-edited volume Digital (In)Justice in the Smart City and contributions to several edited collections including Changing of the Guards, Protests in the Information Age, and Freedom of Information and Social Science Research Design. Her research demonstrates a consistent trajectory examining how surveillance technologies reshape urban governance and social relations.

• Lakehead University Faculty of Social Science and Humanities Research Chair in Social Change, Technology, and Justice (2025-2027)
• Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship

Dr. Mackinnon actively mentors students in critical criminology, surveillance studies, and qualitative methodology. Her current research projects involve collaborations across multiple institutions and disciplines, focusing on the complex relationship between technology, security, and justice in urban environments. She maintains an active research laboratory examining the convergence of public and private security infrastructures in North American cities.