PAIR advances rigorous, peer-reviewed scholarship grounded in Pan-African perspectives across disciplines and regions. Our work reflects sustained academic inquiry while engaging policy conversations, creative practice, and community knowledge.
From books and journal articles to policy reports and public dialogue, our publications demonstrate how research can uphold the highest standards of academic excellence while contributing meaningfully beyond the university.
Books
Major scholarly works, including monographs and edited volumes, that reflect sustained research programs and intellectual leadership across disciplines.
Areas of select publication include:
- African youth cultures and popular media
- Food sovereignty and agricultural transformation in Africa
- Black performance and feminist cultural analysis
- Transitional justice and postcolonial citizenship
- Functional metagenomics and environmental biotechnology
- Energy storage and electrochemical innovation
Research:
- Charles, T. C., Liles, M. R., & Sessitsch, A. (2017). Functional metagenomics: Tools and applications. Springer International Publishing.
- Keleta-Mae, N. (2023). Performing female Blackness. Wilfrid Laurier University Press.
- Keleta-Mae, N. (2023). Beyoncé and beyond: 2013–2016. Routledge.
- Shilomboleni, H. (2017). The African Green Revolution and the food sovereignty movement: Contributions to food security and sustainability—A case study of Mozambique (Doctoral dissertation, University of Waterloo).
- Taylor, C. S. (2023). Flying fish in the great white north. Fernwood Publishing.
- Ugor, P., & Mawuko-Yevugah, L. (2016). African youth cultures in a globalized world: Challenges, agency and resistance. Routledge.
- Ugor, P. (2021). Youth and popular culture in Africa: Media, music, and politics. Boydell & Brewer.
- Ugor, P., & Ibhawoh, B. (2025). Narrating transitional justice: Memory in the age of truth and reconciliation. McGill-Queen’s University Press.
- Wessner, D., Dupont, C., Charles, T. C., & Neufeld, J. (2017). Microbiology. John Wiley & Sons.
Conversations
Recorded lectures, conference presentations, podcast episodes, and research dialogues that translate scholarly ideas into accessible formats. These conversations extend research into public and professional spaces.
Areas of select publication include:
- Caribbean migration, diaspora identity, and transnational family histories
- Electrochemical energy and materials innovation
- Microbiome and soil bacterial community research
Research:
- Rangom, Y., & Pope, M. (2023). Covalently joined electrode architectures for extreme fast charging Li-ion batteries. Electrochemical Society Meeting Abstracts, 244, 177–177.
- Stuart-Taylor, C. (2023). The Caribbean migration nobody talks about | Identity, family & diaspora (Season 8, Episode 1)[Audio podcast episode]. In Dis A Fi Mi History Podcast. YouTube. https://youtu.be/wFoB0UrxjB0
- Verastegui, Y., Cheng, J., Engel, K., McConkey, B., Charles, T. C., & Neufeld, J. (2012). SIP 2.0: Multi-substrate isotope labeling and metagenomic analysis of active soil bacterial communities. ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Annual Meetings.
- Frayne, B., & Shilomboleni, H. (2025). Where research meets resilience [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASyEBpN1O1M
Creative Work
Speculative writing, performance texts, and artist-scholar contributions that explore cultural, historical, and political questions through artistic and imaginative practice.
Areas of select publication include:
- Autobiographical writing
- Black performance
- Music and performance transitions in scholarly contexts
- Political theatre
- Spoken-word and narrative research projects
Research:
- Keleta-Mae, N. (2012). i remember. In Jamaica in the Canadian experience (pp. 115–118).
- Keleta-Mae, N. (2023). Grateful [Audio album]. Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/album/6vdQ74qoTBBB8B8KNkcjCN?si=TRtmHpEhTOyr3ddUaOGbqQ
Journal Articles
Peer-reviewed research published in leading academic journals. These articles advance empirical, theoretical, archival, laboratory, and interdisciplinary scholarship, contributing to ongoing global scholarly conversations.
Areas of select publication include:
- Tuberculosis systems strengthening and health equity in sub-Saharan Africa
- Climate-smart agriculture and food systems resilience
- African cinema, youth culture, and postcolonial resistance
- Governance, citizenship, and environmental justice
- Microbiome science, genomics, and plant-microbe interactions
- Energy storage materials and electrochemical systems
Research:
- Berg, G., Rybakova, D., Fischer, D., Cernava, T., Vergès, M. C. C., Charles, T., … Schloter, M. (2020). Microbiome definition re-visited: Old concepts and new challenges. Microbiome, 8(1), 103.
- Frayne, B., McCordic, C., & Shilomboleni, H. (2014). Growing out of poverty: Does urban agriculture contribute to household food security in Southern African cities? Urban Forum, 25(2), 177–189.
- Keleta-Mae, N. (2017). A Beyoncé feminist. Atlantis, 38(1), 236–246.
- Mac-Seing, M., Zinszer, K., Oga-Omenka, C., De Beaudrap, P., Mehrabi, F., … (2020). Pro-equity legislation, health policy and utilisation of sexual and reproductive health services by vulnerable populations in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review. Global Health Promotion, 27(4), 97–106.
- Oga-Omenka, C., Bada, F., Agbaje, A., Dakum, P., Menzies, D., & Zarowsky, C. (2020). Ease and equity of access to free DR-TB services in Nigeria: A qualitative analysis of policies, structures and processes. International Journal for Equity in Health, 19(1), 221.
- Oga-Omenka, C., Sassi, A., Vasquez, N. A., Baruwa, E., Rosapep, L., Daniels, B., … (2023). Tuberculosis service disruptions and adaptations during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in the private health sector of two urban settings in Nigeria. PLOS Global Public Health, 3(3), e0001618.
- Shilomboleni, H. (2020). COVID-19 and food security in Africa: Building more resilient food systems. AAS Open Research, 3, 27.
- Thompson, L. R., Sanders, J. G., McDonald, D., Amir, A., Ladau, K., Locey, K. J., … Knight, R. (2017). A communal catalogue reveals Earth’s multiscale microbial diversity. Nature, 551(7681), 457–463.
- Ugor, P. U. (2013). Survival strategies and citizenship claims: Youth and the underground oil economy in post-amnesty Niger Delta. Africa, 83(2), 270–292.
- Zimmer, A. J., Klinton, J. S., Oga-Omenka, C., Heitkamp, P., Nyirenda, C. N., Furin, J., … Creswell, J. (2022). Tuberculosis in times of COVID-19. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 76(3), 310–316.
Policy Briefs & Reports
Applied research outputs developed for policymakers, institutions, and community partners. These publications synthesize findings, outline recommendations, and support evidence-informed decision-making.
Areas of select publication include:
- Climate-resilient agriculture and seed system scaling in East Africa
- Index-based crop insurance services
- Tuberculosis care cascade measurement
- Wastewater genomic surveillance
Research:
- Osumba, J. J. L., Recha, J. W. M., Demissie, T. D., Shilomboleni, H., Radeny, M. A. O., … (2020). State of index-based crop insurance services in East Africa. CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security.
- Shilomboleni, H., Recha, J., Makonnen, B., Duku, C., Radeny, M., & Solomon, D. (2023). Enabling markets and public-sector actions for catalysing transformation for small-scale agricultural producers under climate change. In Transforming food systems under climate change through innovation (pp. 41–50).
Public Engagement
Essays, media commentary, and invited contributions that bring research into public conversation. This work extends academic insight into broader civic, cultural, and policy spaces.
Areas of select publication include:
- African popular culture
- Black feminist cultural analysis
- Interdisciplinary reflection on research identity and equity
- Global health commentary
- Media and public scholarship on cultural and academic careers
Research:
- Keleta-Mae, N. (2015). Why I’m teaching a university course on Beyoncé. Huffington Post.
- Keleta-Mae, N. (2016). Get what’s mine: “Formation” changes the way we listen to Beyoncé forever. Noisey (VICE).
- Leung, A. (2023). The forming of Naila Keleta-Mae. University Affairs. https://universityaffairs.ca/features/the-forming-of-naila-keleta-mae/