2023-Present: PhD Student, Geography, University of Toronto
2018-2019: Master of Arts, Labour Studies, McMaster University
Thesis: The Customer is Always Right: Violence Against 2SLGBTQ+ Service Workers in Windsor and Sudbury, Ontario
Committee – Suzanne Mills (Chair), Judy Fudge, Michelle Dion
GPA: 4.0
2014-2018: Bachelor of Arts, Honours Labour Studies, Minor in Sociology, McMaster University
GPA: 4.0
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Precarious Work
Youth Homelessness
Gender, Sexuality and Work
Qualitative and Mixed Methods
PUBLICATIONS
Journal Articles
Benjamin Owens, Suzanne Mills, Nathaniel Lewis, and Adrian Guta. (2022). Work-Related Stressors and Mental Health among LGBTQ Workers: Results from a Cross-Sectional Survey. PLOS One, 17(10), e0275771.
Amanda Noble, Benjamin Owens, Naomi Thulien, and Amanda Suleiman. (2022). “I Feel Like I’m in a Revolving Door, and COVID Has Made it Spin a Lot Faster”: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Youth Experiencing Homelessness in Toronto, Canada. PLOS One, 17(8), e0273502.
Suzanne Mills and Benjamin Owens. (2021). Customer Abuse and Aggression as Labour Control Among LGBT Workers in Low-Wage Services. Work, Employment and Society, 37(3), 776-793.
Technical Reports and Other Publications
Benjamin Owens and Suzanne Mills. (2022). Research Findings: Customer Abuse and Aggression as Labour Control Against LGBTQ+ Service Sector Workers. Work in Progress: Sociology on the Economy, Work and Inequality. [American Sociological Association Blog.]
Benjamin Owens, Amanda Suleiman, and Amanda Noble. (2022). Understanding the Experiences of Youth Who Use Substances: A Needs Assessment of Toronto Youth Experiencing Homelessness. [Technical Report.]
Amanda Noble, Naomi Thulien, Benjamin Owens, Amanda Suleiman, Mithula Loganathan, Danielle Ali, Isaac Coplan, Jaime Neal, Enieda Baja, and Kavita Ramkissoon. (2022). The Impact of COVID-19 on Youth Experiencing Homelessness: Shifting to a Collaborative, Prevention-Focused Response to Youth Homelessness in a Large Urban Setting. The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness. [Community Report.]
Benjamin Owens. (2021). A Pride Flag by the Door: Creating Safe and Supportive Workplaces. Our Times: Canada’s Independent Labour Magazine.
Suzanne Mills, Benjamin Owens, Adrian Guta, Nathaniel Lewis, Natalie Oswin. (2020). Work, Inclusion and 2SLGBTQ+ People in Sudbury and Windsor. [Community Report.]
Benjamin Owens. (2019). “The Customer is Always Right: Violence Against 2SLGBTQ+ Service Workers in Windsor and Sudbury, Ontario.” Master of Arts Thesis, McMaster University.
Benjamin Owens and Suzanne Mills. (2019). LGBTQ2S+ Work and Inclusion. [Community Research Brief.]
GRANTS, SCHOLARSHIPS, AND AWARDS
2023-: SSHRC CGS-D Scholarship ($40,000/year for three years)
2023-: Faculty of Arts and Science Top Doctoral Award ($7000/year)
2023: Department of Geography PhD Entrance Scholarship ($5000)
2023: Elia Scholars Program ($35,000/year for four years, declined)
2019: Labour Studies GS Award ($750)
2018: Labour Studies GS Award ($2000)
2018: SSHRC CGS-M Scholarship ($17,500)
2017: Undergraduate Student Research Award ($6000)
2017: Harry Waisglass Book Prize
2017: Alice and Walter Day Scholarship ($500)
2017: Mary C. Shane Scholarship ($2000)
2016: Larry Sefton Scholarship ($500)
2015-2016: Dr. Harry Lyman Hooker Scholarship ($1500/year)
2015: OPSEU Global Solidarity Scholarship ($1000)
2014-2015: Social Science Scholarship ($500/year)
2014: Presidential Award Scholarship, McMaster University ($2500)
RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS
2024: Benjamin Owens. “The Spatiotemporalities of Precarity: COVID-19 and Youth Homelessness in Toronto, Ontario.” International Geographical Congress (IGC). Dublin, Ireland.
2024: Benjamin Owens and Suzanne Mills. “Minority Stress in the Unbounded Workplace.” Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG) Conference. St. John’s, Newfoundland.
2023: Katrina Milaney, Amanda Noble, Benjamin Owens. “Shelter Diversion in Six Canadian Communities: A Paradigm Shift for Youth Homelessness Prevention.” Canadian Association of Social Work Education (CASWE) Conference. St. Catharines, Ontario.
2023: Benjamin Owens, Amanda Noble, and Amanda Suleiman. “Understanding the Experiences of Youth Who Use Substances: A Needs Assessment of Toronto Youth Experiencing Homelessness.” Canadian Sociological Association (CSA) Conference. Halifax, Nova Scotia.
2023: Benjamin Owens. “The Customer is Always Right: Violence Against 2SLGBTQ+ Service Workers in Windsor and Sudbury, Ontario.” Canadian Sociological Association (CSA) Conference. Halifax, Nova Scotia.
2022: Benjamin Owens and Suzanne Mills. “Creating Safer Workplaces: A Comparative Analysis of 2SLGBTQ+ Service Workers in Ontario.” International Association for the Study of Work and Organizations (IASWO). Montreal, Quebec.
2022: Amanda Noble, Naomi Thulien, Benjamin Owens, Amanda Suleiman. “The Impact of COVID-19 on Youth Experiencing Homelessness in Toronto, Canada.” Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) Conference. Toronto, Ontario.
2022: Benjamin Owens and Suzanne Mills. “Customer Abuse and Aggression as Labour Control among LGBTQ Workers in Low-Wage Services.” American Sociological Association (ASA) Annual Meeting. Los Angeles, California.
2022: Benjamin Owens. “Creating Safer Workplaces: A Comparative Analysis of LGBTQ Workers in Ontario.” McMaster University, Department of Labour Studies. Hamilton, Ontario.
2021: Benjamin Owens and Suzanne Mills. “Violence and Customer Aggression Against LGBTQ Service Workers.” International Society for the Study of Work and Organization (ISSWO) Conference. Toronto, Ontario.
2021: Benjamin Owens. “The Customer is Always Right: Violence Against 2SLGBTQ+ Service Workers in Windsor and Sudbury, Ontario.” Canadian Sociological Association (CSA) Conference. Vancouver, British Columbia.
2020: Suzanne Mills and Benjamin Owens. “Customer Abuse and Aggression as Labour Control in LGBTQ Service Work.” Canadian Sociological Association (CSA) Conference. Montreal, Quebec.
2019: Benjamin Owens. “The Customer is Always Right: Violence Against 2SLGBTQ+ Service Workers in Windsor and Sudbury, Ontario.” CUPE Local 5167, Windsor, Ontario.
2018: Benjamin Owens. “The Customer is Always Right: Violence Against 2SLGBTQ+ Service Workers in Windsor and Sudbury, Ontario.” McMaster University, Department of Labour Studies. Hamilton, Ontario.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2023-2024: Teaching Assistant, Environment, Food and People, University of Toronto Department of Geography and Planning (GGR107H1F)
2018: Teaching Assistant, An Introduction to Labour in Canada, McMaster University School of Labour Studies (LABRST 1A03)
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
2022-2023: Research Supervisor, Covenant House Toronto
- Supervised a research team to conduct qualitative interviews and focus groups with youth
- Co-authored a grant proposal to secure funding for a participatory research project
- Designed research projects to evaluate harm reduction programs
- Presented findings at national conferences
2021-2022: Research and Evaluation Coordinator, Covenant House Toronto
- Coordinated research projects assessing the effectiveness of programs for youth
- Conducted program evaluations and analyzed quantitative data using SPSS
- Developed survey instruments to gather data from service users
2020-2021: Research Coordinator, University of Toronto Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work
- Coordinated a mixed-methods study on youth homelessness during COVID-19
- Conducted qualitative interviews and data analysis
- Collaborated with community organizations to gather insights
2019-2021: Researcher, McMaster University Department of Labour Studies
- Performed statistical analysis and analyzed qualitative data for various projects
- Co-authored academic and community outputs based on research findings
2017-2019: Research Assistant, McMaster University Department of Labour Studies
- Assisted in writing grant applications and recruiting participants for studies
- Analyzed data using STATA and NVivo
2017-2018: Placement Researcher, CUPE Local 5167
- Developed a labour relations plan for a local union
- Authored a research paper on collective bargaining
2017: Student Investigator, McMaster University Department of Labour Studies
- Conducted research on living wage policies in Hamilton
- Presented findings at a poster session
2016-2017: Research Assistant, McMaster University Department of Labour Studies
- Conducted interviews and transcribed them for a living wage research project