Mihaela Vieru is completing her doctoral degree in Canadian Studies with a specialisation in Political Economy at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, while also teaching in the School of Canadian Studies and the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at the same institution. She has been part of the Metropolis Secretariat in Ottawa since 2012, following her commitment to bridge academic and policy making perspectives in the field of migration and integration in comparative international context. Her professional profile includes expertise on diversity, multiculturalism, national security, and citizenship, gained in over 10 years of public policy analysis and research, interdisciplinary teaching and publishing, programming and governance in the not-for-profit sector, and national and international conference management.