Fahad Ahmad

Dr. Fahad Ahmad serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminology at Toronto Metropolitan University and holds a Research Affiliate position at the University of Toronto's Institute of Islamic Studies, where he advises the Structural Islamophobia Research Lab. Previously, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Toronto's Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies.

Dr. Ahmad's academic credentials include a PhD from Carleton University's School of Public Policy and Administration, an MBA from York University, an MS from University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a BS from Aligarh Muslim University. His doctoral research, funded by SSHRC and the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, examined the securitization of Muslim civil society organizations under national security regimes in Canada and the U.K.

As an interdisciplinary scholar with 15 years of community and nonprofit sector experience in Canada and the U.S., Dr. Ahmad's research focuses on critical terrorism/radicalization studies, racialized national security practices, systemic Islamophobia, race and nationalism, civil society resistance, and justice-oriented philanthropy approaches. His work consistently bridges academic scholarship with community-based knowledge and advocacy.

His publication record reveals a strong thematic focus on examining how national security frameworks impact Muslim communities and civil society, while simultaneously exploring alternative approaches to community-led initiatives and philanthropy. His scholarship frequently addresses the intersections of Islamophobia, racial justice, and counterterrorism policies.

• SSHRC IDG grant (as co-applicant) for "Connecting the dots: Investigating institutional philanthropy's entanglement with right-wing populism in Canada"
• Faculty of Arts Democracy, Equity, and Justice Grant (as PI) for the same project
• SSHRC Partnership Development Grant project "Justice philanthropy: An international research-to-practice network" (as collaborator)
• SSHRC Connection Grant (as co-applicant) for the edited book "Legacies of the Global War on Terror: Security and Racial Justice"

Dr. Ahmad co-edits the book series "Dimensions: Islam, Muslims, and Critical Thought" at University of Toronto Press and chairs the academic board of the Structural Islamophobia Research Lab. He teaches courses including CRM 322 Ethics in Criminal Justice, CRM 204 Intro to Criminal Justice Research and Statistics, and CR 8103 Race, Society, and National Security, reflecting his commitment to addressing racial justice and national security policy impacts on marginalized communities.