Our Team
Faculty
Dr. Victoria Fast, Ph.D.
Lab Director, Associate Professor, Department of Geography
Dr. Victoria Fast is an associate professor in the Department of Geography and academic co-lead for Cities + Societies with the Institutes for Transdisciplinary Scholarship at the University of Calgary. Her research and teaching span the fields of geographic information science, human geography, and urban studies.
Leveraging expertise in mapping, modeling, spatial analysis, geovisualization, participatory GIS, and volunteered geographic information, Dr. Fast's research team is committed to cultivating vibrant, safe, and accessible urban and digital environments. Their investigations encompass diverse topics such as sidewalk conditions, urban and building accessibility, urban density, pedestrian collisions, accessible mobility, and active transit.
Outside of the lab, Victoria enjoys growing and cooking good food. She has a soft spot for long walks, big dogs, and great literature—bonus point for an audiobook read by the author.
| UCalgary Profile |
Postdoctoral Researchers
Kassi Boyd, Ph.D.
Research Coordinator and SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow
Kassi graduated from the University of Alberta with a PhD in Rehabilitation Science in June 2025. Her PhD research explored the intersections of disability, play, and inclusion at playgrounds, and centered the perspectives of disabled children.
Kassi's postdoctoral work will involve collaborating with disabled children and their families to more deeply understand the accessibility of ‘inclusive’ playgrounds and surrounding amenities such as parking, washrooms, and pathways. Her goal is to generate evidence-based recommendations for inclusive playground design and inclusive play programming.
Outside of the lab, Kassi works as a dog trainer, bringing an evidence-based and welfare-friendly approach to her practice. She also enjoys extra hot coffee and live music.
Student Researchers
Harrison Drew
Geospatial Research Assistant and MSc Student in Geography
Recently graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Geography with an Embedded Certificate in Geographic Information Science, Harrison is pursuing a Master of Science in Geography heavily focused on accessible mapping through automated GIS methods.
Outside the lab, Harrison enjoys gaming, time outdoors, and spending time with his cat, Jonesy.
Mary Glass
Research Assistant and MGIS Student
Mary is completing a Master’s degree in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). They are interested in assisting communities in improving library accessibility and developing better active and public transportation systems through the use of GIS.
Mary lives with their partner as well as many cats and frogs, and enjoys bike rides, picnics and board games.
Alice Hartley
Research Assistant and Master's Student in Transdisciplinary Research
Together with an honours Bachelors of Science in Zoology and onto eight years of social work experience, Alice is currently a Master's student in Transdisciplinary Research interested in integrating accessible Indigenous activities into supportive programming for those with disabilities and neurodivergence.
Outside the lab, Alice spends time birding and uploading her finds onto iNaturalist, spending time with her Indigenous community, and volunteering.
Mena Hassan
Research Assistant and Undergraduate Student in Geography
Mena is a third-year undergraduate student, pursuing a degree in Urban Studies with a minor in Architectural Studies and certificate in Sustainability Studies. Her research interests focus on how public spaces can better support individuals with visible and non-visible disabilities through the integration of policy, design, and user experience.
Outside of academics, Mena enjoys creatively building and designing through tactile materials like LEGO and adding to her growing sneaker collection.
Tyseer Hima
Graduate Research Associate and MA Student in Geography
Tyseer holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree and is passionate about design and the built environment. She is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Geography, with her research exploring digital mobility through the lens of mobility justice and intersectionality.
Outside of research, Tyseer enjoys art, music, and traveling. They are pathways through which she follows wonder, seeking new cultures and ways of knowing.
Marjan Jahanbani
Research Assistant and MGIS Student
Marjan is a Master’s student of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Her current research focuses on analysing the accessibility of businesses for people with disabilities using crowdsourced spatial data.
Outside the lab, Marjan enjoys Persian calligraphy and painting, which brings her a deep sense of peace and helps her reflect on her energy, be grateful, and spend meaningful moments with herself.
Joyce Percel
Research Engagement Specialist and PhD Candidate in Geography
Joyce is a PhD student in the Department of Geography. Her research interests span multiple disciplines and include critical data studies, critical property studies, Black geographies, settler colonialism, and urban geography. Her doctoral research project studies how racial and colonial logics appear in property data in Chicago.
Outside her research, Joyce enjoys spending time with her kids, reading cozy fiction books, playing board games, and long walks/short hikes.
Moazima Rizwan
Research Assistant and MSc Student in Geography
Moazima is a recent graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Geography. Her research interests include spatial equity, community accessibility, and the application of GIS towards more inclusive and equitable planning. Moazima recently completed an internship with the United Nations, where she supported global crisis monitoring through geospatial analysis and mapping for decision making.
Beyond research, Moazima is a professional makeup artist and enjoys traveling, exploring diverse cultures, and engaging in creative pursuits.
Lisa Rotzal
Research Assistant and Undergraduate Student in Geography and Education
Lisa is a current undergraduate student in concurrent Bachelor of Arts Geography and Bachelor of Education with an embedded certificate in Mental Wellbeing and Resilience. She is a research assistant for Nature in the City Urban Alliance project, and a recipient of PURE Alberta Innovates Summer Studentship for Mapping Urban IDEAS (Open Educational Resource).
Outside the lab, Lisa enjoys hiking, climbing, swimming, photography, and dog sitting.
Alumni
Hawjin Falahatkar, MSc Geography, University of Calgary. Research focus: Mapping and evaluating urban physical features to enhance inclusivity for women and individuals with reduced mobility by integrating theory-driven and data-driven methods to develop innovative GIS approaches that transcend conventional boundaries of data availability and analysis tools.
Amanda Bishop, MSc Geography, University of Calgary. Research focus: The pedestrian experience: identifying, examining, and understanding the environmental characteristics associated with pedestrian-traffic-related conflicts affecting older adults.
Olusegun Ogunleye, MGIS, University of Calgary. Research focus: advancing disability inclusion using spatially enabled crowdsourced data to understand how pedestrians experience barriers using GIS techniques.
Rhiannon Scott, MGIS, University of Calgary. Research focus: Evaluating Connectivity For Pedestrians Looking: Walkability Scores In Calgary .
Yui Tanagi, MGIS, University of Calgary. Research focus: Mobility Accessibility of Sidewalk and Curb Ramp Infrastructure in Residential Neighbourhoods in Calgary.
Sepideh Javadi, MGIS, University of Calgary. Research focus: Risk Terrain Modelling for Violence and Assault: Application of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) in Calgary Communities.
Russell Copley, MSc Geography, University of Calgary. Research focus: Mapping Our Cities for All: Completeness and Insights of a Crowdsourced Business Accessibility Dataset.
Nikki Rogers, MGIS, University of Calgary. Research focus: The ‘Why’ Depends on the ‘Where’: Analyzing and Modeling the Geography of Pedestrian Collisions.
Zachary Lamoureux, MGIS, University of Calgary. Research focus: Mitigating the Physical Barriers of a Post-Secondary Education: Accessible Mobility Mapping and Rollshed Analysis for Vancouver Island University.
Jiaao Guo, MGIS, University of Calgary. Research focus: Mapping Renewable Energy Capacity in Canmore, Alberta: Implementing a Standardized Mapping Framework and GIS-based MCDA
Fahim Hossain, MGIS, University of Calgary. Research focus: 3D Indoor Routing and Emergency Evacuation Visualisation for the University of Calgary Campus Area.
Amrit Khakh, MGIS, University of Calgary. Research focus: A Multimodal Network Analysis of Spatial Accessibility to Primary Healthcare Services in the City of Calgary, Canada.
See our work in action!
Our researchers have worked hard to build our understanding of disability, expanding knowledge in new and innovative ways towards bringing about positive future change.