Julia Woodhall-Melnik
Other titles
Canada Research Chair in Resilient Communities
Dr. Julia Woodhall-Melnik is a Professor with the Department of Social Science, in the Faculty of Arts at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John. She is also the Canada Research Chair in Resilient Communities.
Dr. Woodhall-Melnik received her Ph.D. in Sociology and her Certification in University Teaching from the University of Waterloo, where her research focused on investigating employment in low-waged service sector work as a social determinant of health. During this time, she also led a variety of analyses of publicly funded housing options for low-income households with non-profit organizations and academic think tanks. Before arriving at UNB, Julia held two Canadian Institutes of Health Research post-doctoral fellowships at McMaster University and St. Michael's Hospital (University of Toronto).
Dr. Woodhall-Melnik's program of research examines how housing systems shape health, well-being, and community resilience, with a particular focus on individuals and families experiencing homelessness, housing insecurity, and socioeconomic marginalization. Grounded in community-engaged and policy-relevant scholarship, Dr. Woodhall-Melnik's work investigates the social, structural, and political determinants of housing inequities while identifying evidence-informed solutions that improve housing stability and community outcomes. Through interdisciplinary collaborations with governments, non-profit organizations, and people with lived expertise, her research generates actionable knowledge that informs policy development, program design, and systems change. Dr. Woodhall-Melnik is committed to evidence-informed advocacy, as she produces research that not only advances sociological understandings of housing and health but also contributes to more equitable, resilient, and inclusive communities.
Dr. Woodhall-Melnik is the founder and co-director of the Housing, Mobilization and Engagement Research Lab (HOME-RL). Through HOME-RL, she oversees a variety of SSRHC, CIHR, and ResearchNB funded projects that advance housing equity in Canada, while training the next generation of sociologically informed housing scholars. Through HOME-RL, students are provided with the opportunity to engage in world-class, methodologically rigorous research while building relationships within the community and developing their skills to become leaders in their communities and beyond.
