Lori Lee Oates

Lori Lee Oates is a Teaching Assistant Professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland with a PhD from the University of Exeter. Her academic work intersects with policy development, having served as a Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of the Minister of Status of Women with the Government of Canada, where she managed files on decriminalization of sex work, women's entrepreneurship, and pay equity.

Dr. Oates' research focuses on the intersections of colonialism, resource extraction, and climate justice. Her work critically examines how historical colonial structures continue to shape contemporary environmental policies, policing practices, and media representations. She approaches these topics through decolonizing research methodologies that prioritize Indigenous perspectives and challenge Western epistemological frameworks.

Her recent publications demonstrate a clear trajectory connecting historical analysis of colonialism with contemporary resource politics in Newfoundland and Labrador. The articles reveal a sophisticated understanding of how resource extraction economies perpetuate colonial relationships while simultaneously creating environmental crises. Her work on the 'resource curse' in Newfoundland and Labrador represents a significant contribution to understanding how global patterns of resource exploitation manifest in specific regional contexts.

• SSHRC Insight Development Grant (2024) for research on Newfoundland and Labrador's resource economy

Dr. Oates regularly teaches courses in Sociology of Policing, Social Inequality, Deviance, Qualitative Research Methods, and Introduction to Sociology. Her government policy experience informs her teaching approach, bridging academic theory with practical policy applications. She is an active media commentator, frequently contributing to national publications including The Globe and Mail, The Hill Times, and Canada's National Observer, where she connects academic research to current political debates.