Dr. Taj’s research focuses on two interconnected areas. One strand examines migration and education in Canada through community-based, equity-oriented inquiry. She partners with academic institutions, immigrant-serving organizations, and community leaders to examine immigrant women's labour market access and youth leadership among immigrant and racialized communities. Her current project explores how racialized immigrant adolescent girls develop leadership across schools, families, and communities in Toronto and Calgary.

The second strand explores gender and education policy in global contexts. She investigates how gender equality goals are shaped and reinterpreted through national, cultural, and local frameworks, with a focus on the Global South. Her work examines the cultural politics of policy, aspirational formations, and the interplay of state agendas, community values, and global influences, alongside a growing interest in understanding the challenges faced by women researchers working in these contexts.

Dr. Norin Taj is an Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Athabasca University. With over two decades of experience in education across Canadian and transnational contexts, she brings a deep commitment to equity and inclusion. Her career began in the marginalized urban neighbourhoods of Karachi, Pakistan, where she facilitated community-based educational programs—work that continues to inform her efforts to address structural inequalities through education.

Now based in Canada, Dr. Taj draws on her experience as an immigrant woman and educator to examine how education systems and policy frameworks shape access and outcomes for marginalized communities. Her interdisciplinary research bridges educational leadership, international development, sociology, and policy studies, with a focus on gender, migration, and global education policy. She holds a PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto.