Neda Maghbouleh

Neda Maghbouleh is the Canada Research Chair in Race, Ethnicity, Migration, and Identity and an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of British Columbia, within the Faculty of Arts. Her research critically examines how racial and ethnic categories are constructed and experienced, especially among Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) communities in North America. She is also a 2024 appointee to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2030 Census Advisory Committee, advising on race and ethnicity data collection.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Sociology, University of California, Santa Barbara (2012)
• M.A. in Sociology, University of California, Santa Barbara (2008)
• B.A. in Sociology, Smith College (2004)

Research Focus: Maghbouleh’s work spans race and racialization, immigration and refugee resettlement, and identity formation. She leads the RISE Team, a longitudinal study tracking 50 Syrian refugee families in Toronto to understand integration, stress, and equity over five years.

Publications & Media: Her 2017 book The Limits of Whiteness received accolades from the American Sociological Association and the Association of American Publishers. Her collaborative work with Ariela Schachter and René Flores won the Oliver Cromwell Cox Award in 2022. Her research has been featured in NPR, The New Yorker, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times.

Grants & Awards:

• SSHRC Insight Grant: $349,000
• Ontario Early Researcher Award: $140,000
• Canada Research Chair (Tier 2)
• ASA Oliver Cromwell Cox Award (2022)

Teaching: She teaches courses on ethnic relations and sociology of race and migration, and supervises graduate students in UBC’s MA and PhD programs in Sociology.