Hawa Namiiro-Leonard

Hawa Namiiro-Leonard is a PhD candidate in Policy Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University, specializing in settlement and diaspora policy. Her research examines how policy, institutional, and labour market systems shape workplace and affective belonging for Canadian-educated international students.

Trained in economics (B.A., Carleton University; M.A., McMaster University), she brings over a decade of experience as an economist in the Canadian public sector, alongside international business experience in Uganda. Her work sits at the intersection of migration policy, labour markets, and recognition, with a focus on how individuals who meet formal criteria for integration may still encounter barriers to social and workplace belonging.