Graduate Student News

Graduate Story: Thomas Bujaki, PhD in Biology

A two-time Carleton graduate—first with his bachelor’s degree and then his master’s—Thomas Bujaki was juggling a full life. He was an expectant father, civil servant and PhD candidate in Biology, focusing in Genomics and Bioinformatics.

Working with his supervisor Prof. Nicolas Rodrigue, Bujaki studied complex genetic models that help scientists understand evolutionary history and how closely different species are related.

In the middle of this busy chapter, everything changed. At 29, Bujaki learned he had stage two testicular cancer.

“The two weeks in between learning the results and visiting a urologist were some of the most stressful times in my life.” says Bujaki.

Bujaki stepped away from his research and work to focus on recovery. After months of treatment and follow-up tests, he was cleared of cancer.

Now a father of two, Bujaki looks forward to crossing the graduation stage.

“Convocation will be a really meaningful opportunity to celebrate what I’ve made it through and what I’ve been able to do,” says Bujaki. 

Read more here.

Graduate Story: Esquay Masty, MA in Legal Studies

For Esquay Masty, her pursuit of a career in the legal field has been guided by a commitment to advocating for Indigenous communities and creating opportunities for future generations.

A member of the Cree First Nation of Waswanipi in Eeyou Istchee, Masty arrived at Carleton with a clear goal: prepare for a career in law. Now graduating with a master’s degree in Law and Legal Studies, she is one step closer to that dream as she prepares to begin law school this fall.

Masty found flexibility in her master’s program to focus her research on Indigenous rights and policy. Her recent research paper explored the competing interests of Quebec nationalism and Indigenous sovereignty.

Read more here.

Graduate Story: Ahmadshah Malgarai, PhD in Economics

Students come to Economics for many reasons—an aptitude for mathematics, an interest in public policy, a path to government. 

But Ahmad Malgarai came to Economics with a more fundamental question: “Why are some countries poor and others rich?” 

Underneath that question lies a lifetime of experiences that few of his classmates could begin to comprehend. 

Ahmad Malgarai grew up in a village in Afghanistan’s Paktia Province, east of Kabul, during the 1980s and 1990s. When the Soviet-Afghan war began in 1979, hundreds of villages were destroyed, forcing his family to move to the capital. By the age of ten, he had already witnessed the realities of war. 

As the conflict intensified in the early 1990s and reached Kabul, Ahmad’s father placed Ahmad on a plane to Canada. Ahmad arrived in Montreal alone, unable to speak English or French. After time with a foster family there, he later moved to Ottawa. 

He attended school—excelling in mathematics—gained Canadian citizenship and landed a job as an OC Transpo operator. It was there that he met Canadian Forces General Rick Hillier, who opened the door to the next chapter in his life.   

“He was visiting OC Transpo drivers who wore red to support Canadian troops and when he heard where I was from, he encouraged me to consider contributing to both Canada and Afghanistan in a civilian capacity,” says Ahmad. “I didn’t hesitate.” 

Ahmad returned to Afghanistan as a cultural and language advisor to the Commander of the Canadian Joint Task Force. He worked alongside Canadian Armed Forces units in some of the most dangerous regions of the mission, before spending several more years supporting U.S. forces. He shared tents with military officers, forging friendships that continue to this day.  

When Ahmad returned to Ottawa in 2016, he saw a bus advertisement for Carleton’s Economics program. It prompted him to revisit a question that had stayed with him for years: what role does economics play in a country’s success—or failure? Thus began his chapter into the study of Economics. He went on to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Economics at Carleton, followed by a PhD. His doctoral research examined environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors and their relationship to business performance and Energy Economics.  

He dedicated his dissertation to the Canadian soldiers who died in Afghanistan, and to the resilience of Afghan women. 

Read more here.

Graduate Story: Nicolas Arellano, PhD in Architecture

After seven years of research, experimentation, and collaboration, Nicolas Arellano has successfully completed his PhD at Carleton’s Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism. His dissertation, Deblackboxing the Architect’s Toolbox: Open-Source Toolmaking for Architects Beyond Proprietary Software and Closed File Formats, was awarded the rare distinction of passing without revisions.

For Nicolas, the research emerged from a challenge he encountered firsthand as both an architect and technology researcher. While studying architecture and later working with digital technologies at the Carleton Immersive Media Studio (CIMS), he often found himself constrained by the limitations of proprietary software.

“Many of the tools architects use are essentially black boxes,” says Nicolas. “When a tool doesn’t do exactly what you need, you’re forced to find workarounds rather than being able to adapt the tool itself.”

His dissertation explores how architects can move beyond being passive users of software and become active participants in shaping the tools they use. The concept of “deblackboxing” refers to opening these systems, allowing users to understand how they work, modify them, and create solutions tailored to specific design challenges.

Read more here.

Faculty of Public and Global Affairs Graduation Stories: Click here to read more about FPGA graduates who found their place at Carleton and helped shape the community around them.

Sprott Graduate Stories: Watch Videos Below

Graduate Story: Engineering Practice Graduates Celebrate Growth, Community and New Beginnings.
Read more here.

Convocation Medal Award Winners

Each year, Carleton awards prestigious medals to recognize exceptional dedication, leadership and the commitment of Ravens who have excelled in their studies. Congratulations to our graduate students who have won the following awards!

Governor General's Medal
Awarded annually to a student standing at the head of the graduating class at the graduate level.

• William Fraser, Doctor of Philosophy, Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Aline Ingelson-Filpula, Doctor of Philosophy, Biology

University Medal for Outstanding Graduate Work
Awarded, when merited, for outstanding graduate work at the doctoral and master's level.

Doctoral:

• Madeleine Sheppard-Perkins, Doctor of Philosophy, Health Sciences 
• Chelsie Smith, Doctor of Philosophy, Management

Master's:

• David Hardy, Master of Applied Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Alison Schultz, Master of Arts, Anthropology 

The entire list of medal and award winners can be found here.

Graduate Story: University Medal Winner Alison Schultz, MA in Anthropology

Congratulations to Anthropology student Alison Schultz on receiving a University Medal for Outstanding Graduate Work (master’s level) at Carleton’s 2026 Convocation.

Alison’s award-winning graduate thesis is titled, Combustive Realities of Pregnancy Care: The Politics of Risk and Emergency in the Northwest Territories.

Read a Q&A with Alison here.

Upcoming Deadlines

For the complete list of dates and deadlines, please bookmark and refer to the Academic Year page.

June 18

• Last day of early summer classes. (NOTE: full summer classes resume July 2.)
• Classes follow a Monday schedule.
• Last day that can be specified by a course instructor as a due date for term work for early summer courses.

June 21
Final examinations in early summer courses and mid-term examinations in full summer courses will be held. (Examinations are normally held all seven days of the week.)

June 25

• Deadline for course outlines to be made available to students registered in late summer courses.
• Final summer term payment deadline.

July 1

• Last day for receipt of applications for the University of Ottawa Exchange (Late Summer Courses)
• Statutory holiday. University closed.

July 2
Late summer courses begin. Full summer courses resume.

July 10
Carleton Central opens for registration for new and returning graduate students. Be sure to visit Step 1 of Registration in Carleton Central to view your registration start time.

Ravens Capture Third Straight FISU America 3x3 Title

The Carleton Ravens women's basketball team completed their three-peat as FISU America 3x3 champions on May 28 with a 21-15 win over the Saskatchewan Huskies. In their fifth consecutive FISU 3x3 tournament final, the Ravens were led by an outstanding performance from Kyana-Jade Poulin to capture the title. 

The Ravens roster of Tyanne Matosas-Adderley, Catherine Oliver, Jacqueline Urban and Kyana-Jade Poulin went undefeated in the tournament, extending the program's current FISU 3x3 win streak to 16 games.

GSA Carleton (Graduate Students' Association)

Congratulations to the 2026-2027 GSA Carleton Executive Team! They will serve until May 2027 in the following roles:

President: Diana Tutkishbayeva

VP Operations: Sara Beth Lyons

VP Academic: Fatemeh Mohammad Zamani

VP External: Oluwadamilola (Dami) Omotuyi

VP Finance: Dapo Odumosu

To learn more about each executive member, visit our about us page.