Laura Tanguay

Postdoctoral Fellow, Weatherhead Scholars Program.
Affiliate, Canada Program.
PhD Candidate, Department of Environmental and Urban Change, York University, Canada.
Affiliate, Weatherhead Research Cluster on Comparative Inequality and Inclusion (2025-2026).
Headshot of Laura Tanguay in front of a window
ltanguay@fas.harvard.edu

Research interests: Environmental justice; consent processes in energy infrastructure siting; extractivism; environmental policy; legal pluralism; nuclear colonialism; and procedural justice in impact assessments.

Bio: Laura Tanguay holds a PhD in environmental studies from York University. She studies environmental and socio-legal issues related to Indigenous rights and nuclear energy in Canada. Her work bridges environmental justice, law reform, and Indigenous legal systems.

Research summary: My work is situated at the intersection of critical geography, environmental and socio-legal studies. I have a background in community-based research, environmental policy, public legal education, and law reform campaigns framed through principles of environmental justice. My dissertation examines discrepancies in consent mechanisms for nuclear waste projects in Canada, and particularly, how the application of UNDRIP principles are interpreted into Canadian law. I am interested in how recognition of Indigenous legal systems can contribute to more meaningful consent practices in the context of Canada’s energy transition.

This information is accurate as of the affiliate year indicated. (last updated 12.28.2025)