Jennifer Hyndman

Jennifer Hyndman is a Professor and currently serves as Associate Vice-President of Research at York University. She is also Past Director of the Centre for Refugee Studies at York. Her academic affiliations include the Department of Geography, Department of Social Science, and the Centre for Refugee Studies.

Hyndman's research focuses on two main areas: 1) conflict, human displacement, and the geopolitics of humanitarian response and refugee protection; and 2) refugee settlement, participation and social inclusion in Canada. Her current research projects probe how private refugee sponsorship is sustained over time in Canadian communities, the motivations of sponsors, and the social determinants of well-being and integration of Syrians who came to Canada after November 2015.

Her scholarly publications reveal a consistent focus on refugee experiences across different contexts, with particular attention to protracted refugee situations, the politics of humanitarian aid, and Canadian refugee sponsorship mechanisms. Her work spans geographical contexts including Sri Lanka, Somalia, Kenya, and Canada, with methodological approaches ranging from ethnographic fieldwork to large-scale survey research.

• Exploring Private Refugee Sponsorship (2017-2021) - Principal Investigator
• Refugee integration and long-term health outcomes in Canada ($1.35m) - Co-investigator
• Geographies of Migrant Politics, Identity, and Belonging - Principal Investigator
• A Preliminary Investigation into Refugee Sponsors - Co-investigator

Hyndman leads research teams across multiple Canadian provinces (BC, Ontario, Quebec) and collaborates with settlement service agencies and academic institutions. Her work bridges academic research and practical policy implications for refugee resettlement and integration programs in Canada.