Presented in the “Mid-Career or Established Researcher” category, the award recognizes researchers whose work exemplifies outstanding contributions to research excellence and a sustained commitment to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion in all dimensions of scholarly work.
Professor Liew’s research bridges law, migration, identity, and citizenship, with pathbreaking contributions to the study of statelessness and the ways in which legal systems construct and maintain conditions of exclusion. Drawing on sociolegal, feminist, and critical race methodologies, her work is distinguished by a sustained commitment to incorporating multiple perspectives, particularly those of stateless and formerly stateless persons, as well as communities, advocates, and practitioners directly engaged with immigration and refugee systems.
Professor Liew’s 2024 monograph Ghost Citizens: Decolonial Apparitions of Stateless, Foreign and Wayward Figures of Law (Fernwood Publishing) introduced the concept of the “ghost citizen” to capture the lived and legal realities of statelessness and exclusion. The book has received significant scholarly and public attention, including coverage on CBC Ideas and TVO’s The Agenda, and was shortlisted for the Canadian Law and Society Association Wes Pue Book Prize. Her 2022 novel Dandelion (Arsenal Pulp Press) similarly brings the experience of statelessness to a wider public audience and was named runner-up in Canada Reads 2025.
Much of Professor Liew’s work is conducted in partnership with lawyers, community organizations, and individuals directly affected by statelessness and migration, with the aim of producing research that informs policy, supports legal reform, and contributes directly to public interest advocacy. She is also actively engaged in policy dialogue, including through leadership roles with the Canadian Council for Refugees, participation in litigation and Supreme Court interventions with organizations such as Amnesty International, and regular contributions to Parliamentary committees. She also hosts the award-winning podcast Migration Conversations, which brings together migrants, practitioners, and scholars in accessible dialogue on immigration, law, and colonialism.
Professor Liew is also a dedicated mentor and community-builder within the academy. She is a member of uOttawa’s BIPOC Caucus and a founding member of Racialized and Indigenous Legal Scholars (RILS), a network that supports scholarly exchange, mentorship, and collaboration among racialized and Indigenous legal academics. Through these roles, she has helped create spaces for emerging scholars to develop their research, build networks, and advance their academic careers.
Through her scholarship, public engagement, and collaborative leadership, Professor Liew has made a significant contribution to advancing understanding of equity, inclusion, and belonging in law and society.
The Faculty of Law congratulates Professor Liew on this well-deserved recognition of her impactful and influential work.