Marshia Akbar

Marshia Akbar is the Director of the BMO Newcomer Workforce Integration Lab and Research Lead on Labour Migration within the Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) program in Migration and Integration at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). Her interdisciplinary research bridges policy frameworks, practical applications, and lived experiences to address critical issues related to international migration, employment integration, and social equity.

Marshia’s research investigates employment challenges faced by immigrants and migrants with temporary status, including international students, post-graduates, and high-skilled temporary workers. Using a multi-sectoral, collaborative approach, she highlights the roles of diverse stakeholders in fostering equitable pathways for integration. With expertise in statistical analysis, feminist qualitative methodologies, and urban planning, her work blends analytical precision with contextual sensitivity, emphasizing gender, class, race, and intersectionality in migration. Under her leadership, the BMO Lab conducts action-oriented research to help employers effectively hire skilled immigrants by bridging research and practice. She actively engages in public discourse through conferences, publications, and collaborations with policymakers and practitioners.
Marshia is the recipient of several prestigious research grants, including the SSHRC Insight Development Grant (2022), SSHRC Insight Grant (2023), grants from the Intergovernmental Committee for Economic and Labour Force Development (2022), and funding from World Education Services (2024 and 2025). Her dedication to research excellence is matched by her passion for teaching. She teaches in the Department of Sociology and the Chang School of Continuing Education at TMU and was honored with a Teaching Award from the Faculty of Arts in 2022 for her inspiring course, "Immigration, Borders, and Belonging."