Jonathan Crush

Jonathan Crush is University Research Professor and Professor in the School of International Policy and Governance at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, Wilfrid Laurier University. He concurrently holds an Extraordinary Professorship at the University of the Western Cape and an Honorary Professorship at the University of Cape Town.

Education

• Ph.D., Queen’s University, 1984
• M.A., Wilfrid Laurier University, 1978
• Cert. Ed., Cambridge University, 1976
• B.A. (Hons), Cambridge University, 1975 (M.A. 1978)

Research Interests

Professor Crush’s scholarship is organised around two intertwined themes:

1. Global migration and development: examining South-South migration flows, diaspora engagement, governance frameworks, and the developmental impacts of mobility.
2. Rapid urbanisation and food security in the Global South: analysing urban food systems, food deserts, nutrition transitions, and the political economy of urban poverty.

His empirical focus is sub-Saharan Africa, with comparative projects spanning Asia and Latin America.

Research Trends

Across his recent publications, a clear trajectory emerges: integrating migration studies with urban food security to understand how city growth, informality, and mobility intersect to shape hunger, nutrition, and governance outcomes. The work is policy-oriented, producing handbooks and practitioner reports alongside theoretical contributions.

Scientific Awards & Honours

• SSHRC Partnership Grant 2020 – Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network
• QES-AS Programme Leadership 2017 – Doctoral & post-doctoral exchanges
• Extraordinary Professorship, University of the Western Cape, 2018
• University Research Professor, Wilfrid Laurier University, 2018-19
• Honorary Professorship, University of Cape Town, 2006-2016
• CIGI Research Chair in Global Migration and Development, 2012
• Queen’s Research Chair in International Migration, 2008

Research Leadership & Teams

Professor Crush founded and directs the Southern African Migration Programme (SAMP), a long-standing consortium of Canadian and African researchers. He co-founded the African Food Security Urban Network (AFSUN), and established the Hungry Cities Partnership, linking Laurier/Waterloo with partners in Mexico, Jamaica, South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Kenya, India and China. He is an active member of the 2030+ Group at BSIA, investigating health-poverty-climate-development nexuses in the Global South.