Sophie Henderson

Sophie is a PhD candidate in Criminology and funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). Her doctoral research focuses on demand-side drug policy reforms, such as decriminalization and legalization, in the Global North and their impact on how people who use and sell illicit drugs are portrayed in policy. 

Before starting her PhD in 2022, she worked for the Government of Canada on high-priority security issues, including for the Peace and Stabilization Operations Program (PSOPs) at Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and on strategic defence policy for the Department of National Defence (DND).

Prior to Government, she contributed to the Economist Intelligence Unit on security, political, and economic risks in Central Asia. She also wrote on illicit economies and radicalisation as a research analyst for the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

Sophie holds a Master of Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from the University of King’s College, Canada.