Meet Max and Veronika, E4D’s two new summer staff!

Maximilian Lee

Hi! I’m Max – E4D’s Communication Officer.

I am so excited to be joining the Evidence for Democracy (E4D) team as the Communications Officer this summer!

I recently graduated from Carleton University with an Honours Bachelor in Global and International studies. I specialized in Global Law and Social Justice and also did a minor in Philosophy. Throughout my studies, I fell in love with legal philosophy and how legal systems exist within the political realm and societal norms, and became particularly interested in expressions of power, as well as the relationship between law and violence. I found myself asking: What separates a legitimate expression of government power in a democracy from an illegitimate one? I spoke to some of these issues in my Honours Research Essay, which examined the reasonable limits of peaceful protest for Canadian COVID-19 public health measures demonstrators. 

Naturally, I became interested in communication approaches at the intersection of science and public policy. Research and data to exist in a vacuum. Rather, they must be communicated in an accessible way to everyone, to help create an informed and healthy democratic community. I’ve previously worked in both hill and constituency offices for a Member of Parliament, and have done contract research for Carleton University, and the International Action Network on Small arms for the United Nations Office on Disarmament Affairs. Outside of work, I love cycling, drawing, and writing poetry!

Veronika Achor

Hi! I’m Veronika – E4D’s new Research Support Officer.

In 2019, I graduated from Queen’s University, in Kingston, with an Honours Bachelor in Political Studies, and a minor in Global Development Studies. I am currently studying Conflict Studies at Saint Paul’s University in Ottawa. My Master’s research focuses on locally driven country-based approaches to conflict, and how they can be adapted to peacebuilding in deep-rooted conflicts, with a specific focus on South Sudan. 

Previously, I’ve held various positions in the federal public service, which allowed me to explore different career paths in the Government of Canada, and also led me to pursue this summer research role at E4D. My immersion within public service is where I first noticed the many factors that seemingly hinder or prevent action in the decision-making process. I often found myself thinking about bureaucratic culture and embedded societal values that receive insufficient attention, and yet greatly influence political dynamics, as well as conflict management approaches and our institutions. These experiences fed my innate curiosity in ways not possible in a classroom, and I am excited to further develop these ideas through my time at E4D working on their transparency project.