Shiva Nourpanah holds a PhD (2017) in Social Anthropology from Dalhousie University. Her areas of research include the experiences of refugees and temporary migrants in Nova Scotia. Formerly, she worked for eight years in Iran with refugees, as a staff-member of the United Nations' High Commissioner for Refugees. She has published work on the ethics of refugee aid, women's human rights in refugee aid, and the experiences of settlement and integration of Afghan refugees in Halifax. Currently, she is researching the role of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in refugee claims.