Dr. Harjit Kaur has been working in British Columbia’s anti-violence sector for the past 30 years in a frontline and management capacity. She is the co-creator of the BC based app – www.isawrisk.com and a part of app development and research utilizing artificial/virtual intelligence to support communities.

Her work in community participatory research has been grounded in the effort to address inequities and accountability issues for vulnerabilities in safety and health care services. She believes that a paradigm shift is needed to ensure that intersectional standards in globalization policies and practices promote sustainable development and growth in achieving violence-free and safe societies. She is determined that technology can be applied to assist the development and improvement of refugee and immigrant communities.

She has led planning and execution of community-focused projects that elevate youth voices and amplify gender equity. She is deeply committed to grassroots, evidence-based research as a tool for shaping transformative policy and driving inclusive innovation. Mercy approaches every project with a gender, equity, and inclusion lens, ensuring meaningful representation and responsiveness to intersecting social identities. Her passion for women’s empowerment fuels her exploration of how gender, culture, and social norms influence access, participation, and progress.

Novia holds a doctoral degree in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies from Simon Fraser University and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Film Production from Ohio University. Her research interests include transpacific cultural studies, feminist film theory and criticism, documentary film studies, and Sinophone studies. Novia has taught at the post-secondary level and worked in the anti-violence sector as a Domestic Violence Outreach Worker and Sexual Assault Community Coordinator. Novia carries out her work through the lenses of intersectionality, critical race theory, and feminist theory.