Eric Weissman

Dr. Eric Weissman is an Assistant Professor at the University of New Brunswick (UNB), specializing in social science research focused on homelessness, housing policy, mental health, and substance use. His work integrates lived experience with academic rigor, particularly through community-based ethnography. He holds a PhD and has conducted fieldwork in spaces like Toronto’s Tent City and Dignity Village Oregon. His research examines housing models such as Housing First and Intentional Homeless Communities, emphasizing policy design and critique through visual methodologies like film and photography.

Dr. Weissman leads collaborative projects addressing post-secondary student homelessness and the impact of disasters on housing decisions. His 2014 dissertation won the Canadian Association of Graduate Studies Award. He co-authored the Indigenous Definition of Homelessness (2017), widely adopted in Canadian policy. Currently, he directs a visual ethnography lab at UNB Saint John (ethnolab.ca) and advocates for innovative solutions to homelessness and harm reduction.

His grants include CIHR funding for pandemic-related studies on homeless services. Awards include recognition for his dissertation and contributions to policy development. He sits on committees promoting affordable housing alternatives and collaborates with policymakers, researchers, and student communities to address housing precarity.