Ahmad Bonakdar

Ahmad Bonakdar, Ph.D. is the Managing Director of Research, Making the Shift (MtS) Youth Homelessness Demonstration Lab. In his role, Ahmad oversees all aspects of MtS Demonstration Projects (DEMs) including methodological approaches and the implementation of long-term research strategies. He also guides site-specific research plans and leads the academic and public-facing outputs of research studies from MtS DEMs.

Prior to this role, Ahmad was a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (COH). He holds a Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Public Policy with advanced training in qualitative and quantitative research analyses. His research interests focus broadly on social equity, environmental justice, in particular at the intersection of homelessness and housing, community-based studies, and urban imaginary of the marginalized and the underserved including youth experiencing homelessness. He has experience teaching seminar-based and studio courses in urban planning and public affairs programs and mentoring a diverse body of undergraduate students. His recent research has been published in peer-reviewed journals including International Journal of Cultural Policy, Cities, Public Works Management & Policy, and Journal of Planning Literature.