Dr. Julia Woodhall Melnik

Biography

Julia Woodhall-Melnik is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Science at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John, where she also serves as a Canada Research Chair in Resilient Communities. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Waterloo and has a research focus on the employment experiences in the low-waged service sector and its implications for health as a social determinant. Her work has been funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and she has held a post-doctoral fellowship at McMaster University. Julia's research explores the interactions between employment, housing, and the social determinants of both physical and mental health, especially in the context of addiction and well-being. Her projects, which currently receive support from SSHRC, CIHR, NBHRF, and NBIF, investigate publicly funded rehousing and housing loss prevention interventions. Julia is a dedicated advocate for incorporating the voices of individuals with lived experiences of poverty into her research, aiming to produce impactful studies that enhance the quality of life for low-income Canadians. As the Principal Investigator of the Housing, Mobilization & Engagement Research Laboratory (HOME-RL), she fosters community engagement through research and educational opportunities that enhance community resilience and well-being.

Research Interests

Experience