People
Sophia Viatela
Sophia Viatela is an MA student in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies and holds
an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a French specialization from the University
of Ottawa, where her studies integrated psychology with gender studies, sociology,
philosophy, anthropology, and community-based research.
With a background in psychology and an interdisciplinary interest in gender, culture,
and social normativity, Sophia’s academic work explores how identity and social structures
are established through everyday life, shaping not only individual experience but
also the production of meaning, belonging, and inequality.
Sophia also served as a public servant for the Canadian government as an Analytical
Assistant with the Psychological Suitability Centre of the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police (RCMP), where she supported the analysis of psychological assessment metrics
within a government and public-safety context. This experience has deepened her interest
in intersectionality by highlighting how psychological research can inform public
policy and organizational decision-making.
Grounded in intersectional feminist theory and epistemologies, Sophia’s research interests
engage deeply with the ways institutions operate as both material and symbolic systems
of power. She hopes to pursue research that bridges these disciplines to better understand
how identity, inequality, and social experience are produced and negotiated across
different cultural and institutional contexts.