About Susan

Susan M. Manning holds a PhD in Political Science from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and currently works as a Diversity Analyst with the Canadian Coast Guard Arctic Region.

Originally from Newfoundland, Susan completed her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Gender and Women’s Studies & International Development Studies at Trent University, before moving back to the east coast to pursue a Master of Arts in Women and Gender Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University.

Susan’s PhD research (co-supervised by Dr. David Black and Dr. Deborah Stienstra) identifies best practices for mitigating, through impact assessment processes, the negative social impacts that often accompany natural resource extraction in communities in Northern Canada. As resource extraction intensifies in Canada, particularly near rural, remote and Indigenous communities, this research broadens the conversation about the responsibilities of government and corporations in relation to community impacts of resource projects. Susan’s research centres on four comparative case studies: the Voisey’s Bay Nickel Mine, the Red Chris Mine, the Keeyask Generating Station and the Site C Clean Energy Project.

More generally, Susan’s research interests include the politics of resource extraction and development, intersectionality, community inclusion and exclusion in governance, and sexual and gender-based violence. In her free time, Susan enjoys spending time outside playing with her dog, hiking, and kayaking. She volunteers in several roles with Girl Guides of Canada and the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program.