Scholars at Risk: Laurier supports international researchers through war and persecution

June 19, 2026

The Visiting Researcher – Scholars at Risk program at Wilfrid Laurier University supports scholars who are facing threats to their life, liberty or career. The program is fully remote and allows scholars to re-engage with academia after being forced to leave their academic positions because of such threats. Laurier is part of the global Scholars at Risk Network.

Since 2022, Laurier has welcomed 18 visiting researchers to continue their scholarship through funding, access to library and academic resources, and the support of faculty mentors.

“We try to meet each scholar where they’re at, recognizing their circumstances vary, and support them in whatever ways they are able to engage in research and other scholarly activities,” says Meghan Fournie, research culture officer, who facilitates the Visiting Researcher – Scholars at Risk program at Laurier. Her position is made possible, in part, by the Government of Canada’s Research Support Fund. 

“Everyone I have met through the Scholars at Risk program shows me how resilient people can be,” she says.

Currently, there are six visiting researchers working at Laurier remotely from Palestine, Ethiopia, Egypt and North America. Below, three participants share the research they are continuing in the face of great adversity.

 Moussa Abumostafa

For many years, I have worked as an occupational therapist at hospitals in the Gaza Strip. At the same time, I built a career in academia, studying spinal cord injury and neurorehabilitation. I completed my PhD in 2023, which was an interesting, challenging journey. Then the war began and brought different challenges, displacing us from our homes, forcing us to live in a miserable situation.

Few people still have their houses, but I thank God that we were able to repair ours. When I remember living in a tent and all the trouble with water, electricity, internet, insects, rats – I feel panicked. We are reminded every day that the war may resume and we may be moved away from our homes again. Another displacement.

I have been pursuing academic opportunities outside of the Gaza Strip, including through the Scholars at Risk program. I had an opportunity for a postdoctoral fellowship in Canada, but I couldn’t leave Gaza because of the ongoing border closure. There is talk of re-opening the border, but it is just propaganda. Very few people have been allowed to leave since last October when this ceasefire began.

There are two things that keep me going and give me strength. I am an example for my children, my students, my community, my patients and my colleagues. I cannot sit down and surrender, nor give up. The other is my personal motivation to do something; to leave a positive legacy. I believe that resistance is not only people on the frontlines with guns. Doctors, academics, parents, children and students contribute daily actions of resistance when they complete their duties and responsibilities and keep services going for our community.

Most of my career – including my university teaching career – I have been busy with neurorehabilitation, focusing on cases of stroke, spinal cord injury and amputation. However, since the war started, I cannot separate our political context from my research scope.

I started focusing on occupational justice, which connects social justice with everyone’s right to engage in occupations that support their survival, health and well-being. I’m happy I’ve had this shift because if we look globally, there is a gap in our practice. Many health professionals and researchers focus on specific subjects without seeing the wider picture and figuring out the challenges and barriers to implementing their recommendations in their communities.

My latest article, which was recently accepted for publication, shares the results of a pilot study testing an educational intervention for people with spinal cord injury in the Gaza Strip. We are in a situation where people move around, there are limited resources and hospitals were destroyed, so we need new interventions to compensate for this gap. One of those interventions can be health education. It is cheap, can be accessed by all and requires limited resources.

Laurier provides me with financial support to complete my research. I recently contributed a book chapter, while continuing to mentor students, lecture and collaborate with colleagues internationally. By talking about justice and health, we are showing students all over the globe that there are existing tools to solve problems and replace weapons, destruction and war. I have said many times that Gaza is a small prison. When we interact with the outer world through “windows” – talking to people, writing something for them to read – we are breaking the walls of this prison. We are delivering our ideas, thoughts, hopes and dreams, and we believe in this way, things will change.

 Anonymous scholar

Throughout my career, I have taught at public universities and liberal arts colleges in the U.S., as well as top universities and joint international programs in China. My background is in history; specifically, modern Chinese history. Drawing on archival sources, my previous research examined how the Communist revolution affected rural China in the mid-20th century.

I got my PhD in the U.S. and then decided to go back to China to teach in 2012. At the time, it felt like a reasonable decision. There seemed to be more opportunities and I thought there was space for open discussion, but looking back, I misread the moment.

At first, things were still relatively flexible. But over time, the environment tightened. Classrooms were monitored. Sometimes there were unannounced observers. Students were encouraged to report professors. More importantly, many research topics became untouchable – not because they lacked academic value, but because they were politically sensitive. The serious study of modern Chinese history basically came to a halt.

My own position became increasingly difficult. I was trained abroad and I was not a Chinese Communist Party member. Political criteria became more explicit in hiring and evaluation. Eventually, my work was labeled as “historical nihilism,” meaning it did not align with official narratives.

At that point, my choice became very simple: either adapt or leave China. So, I left and came to Canada.

At this stage, I’m learning to accept a difficult reality: that I may never return to the classroom, even though teaching is something I really love. The support I’ve received from Laurier is not just financial – it’s also psychological. It reminds me that experiences like mine are not invisible and that people do care. It has also given me time to keep working.

I recently translated a book about modern Chinese history and am currently working on a new research study examining the transformation of public psychology and political culture in China between 2012 and 2022: the decade between the rise of Xi Jinping and the end of the COVID-19 era.

These 10 years marked a turning point in contemporary Chinese history. China underwent profound political, economic and social changes, but the transformation was psychological as well. One of the defining features of this decade was the revival of personality cult politics and the growing concentration of power around Xi Jinping. At the same time, the state expanded steadily into areas that had previously been left to markets, private businesses, civil society and even personal life. Private entrepreneurs faced increasing pressure, independent social spaces continued to shrink and nationalist sentiment grew dramatically. The mentality of younger generations also changed in visible and often contradictory ways.

This study is not primarily about state institutions or official policy. It is about how ordinary Chinese people responded emotionally and psychologically to these changes: how they embraced them, supported them, adapted to them, resisted them, internalized them, rationalized them or tried to escape from them. At its core, the project is an attempt to understand the collective psychology of a society undergoing a new phase of authoritarian transformation.

 Mohammed Alashi

My research focuses on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), corporate governance, sustainability reporting and financial disclosure. I am particularly interested in how transparency and reporting quality can improve accountability and decision-making in organizations.

I have always been interested in the relationship between accounting information and real-world economic decisions. Specifically, how financial reporting standards and governance practices can support trust, sustainability and long-term development, particularly in developing and emerging economies.

I am originally from Gaza, Palestine. I have my PhD in accounting and finance, and have teaching and research experience at undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. Due to the difficult circumstances and disruptions affecting academic life in Gaza, continuing my work became increasingly challenging.

The Scholars at Risk program has enabled me to remain connected to academia, continue my scholarly work, and rebuild stability for myself and my family. My visiting researcher position at Laurier has provided valuable academic connection and support. It is allowing me to remain engaged in research, collaborate with scholars and continue contributing academically during a period of major transition. I am very grateful.

I hope my research helps improve transparency, accountability and sustainability practices in organizations and institutions. More broadly, I hope to support the development of stronger financial reporting and governance systems that can positively contribute to economic and social development.