Dr. Rupaleem Bhuyan is Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and incoming Director of the Centre for Critical Qualitative Health Research (CQ) at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. She will also hold the inaugural Eakin-Hoffmann Chair in Critical Qualitative Health Research beginning in January 2026. Her research examines immigration, gender-based violence, systemic racism, and social policy, using feminist, decolonial, and community-engaged methods.

Her research grows out of long-standing relationships with grassroots leaders, service providers, and advocates working toward migrant justice, gender equity, and systemic change. With support from federal, provincial, and university grants, she is currently co-Principal Investigator of Border(ing) Practices (2020–present), a collaborative study examining how precarious immigration status shapes child welfare interventions in Ontario and British Columbia. She also co-leads My Journey to SAWRO, a partnership with the South Asian Women’s Rights Organization that documents how migrant women collectively organize for safety, decent work, and lasting change.

From 2010 to 2020, she led the Migrant Mothers Project, which combined research and advocacy for permanent residence on arrival, protection from employer abuse, and access to family reunification for migrant caregivers. Her public scholarship includes digital storytelling, community-infographics, webinars, and peer-reviewed publications on spousal sponsorship, domestic work, and systemic violence.

Dr. Bhuyan teaches qualitative research and the politics of knowledge production. She draws strength from time in nature and with family, and stays connected to her Assamese roots through gatherings and support for the Assamese Digital Living Museum, an emerging oral history and cultural memory project.