Institute at Brown for Environment and Society
Date July 27, 2026
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Introducing Visiting Assistant Professor Laura Tanguay: Examining power, place, and politics in environmental decision-making

Tanguay begins her new role as Visiting Assistant Professor of Environment and Society on August 1.

Laura Tanguay joins the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society following a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard’s Weatherhead Scholars Program. She earned her Ph.D. in Environmental Studies from York University in 2025 and her master’s degree in Environmental Policy at Memorial University in 2017.

By researching the intersection between extractivism, consent, and Indigenous governance in resource decision-making across Canada, Tanguay focuses on the politics of consent within environmental assessment and infrastructure development.

I’m excited to teach and learn from students in an institute where undergraduate research is a core part of the mission. Brown has a reputation for having a committed and inspired student body, and I look forward to being part of the transition from learning to putting education into action.

Laura Tanguay Visiting Assistant Professor of Environment and Society
 
Tanguay

Tanguay’s research in Canada has led her to examine conflicts and inequities in the country’s nuclear waste program. Specifically, she looks at affected communities’ inclusion or exclusion from decisions over their lands and waters.

Currently, Tanguay is studying how the outcomes of consent processes can be used as a stepping stone towards fairer energy infrastructure siting processes. This work has allowed her to collaborate with various Indigenous communities navigating environmental assessments.

When it comes to teaching, Tanguay takes a similarly hands-on approach. “I try to push students beyond a textbook understanding of environmental issues,” she said, “toward a critical analysis of the systems, histories, and power relations that produce them, grounded in the places and communities those systems actually affect.” 

She noted that she is “thrilled” to be joining IBES and its “vibrant community of scholars, students, and educators” on August 1.

Welcome, Professor Tanguay!

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