Aashukin’s day-to-day work is carried out by a small team working under the Cree Nation Government. Team members support Cree communities, organizations, and researchers throughout the research process in Eeyou Istchee.
Jedidat Matoush, PhD
Coordinator of Research Ethics and Review
As Coordinator of Research Ethics and Review, Jedidat coordinates Aashukin’s research review process. She receives and pre-screens research proposals, coordinates the meetings of the Iiyiyuu Iinuu Research Review Committee (IIRRC), and accompanies researchers and Cree partners throughout the review. She also contributes to research governance tools such as model research agreements and data sharing agreements.
Jedidat has a PhD in Political Science and a Master and Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Concordia University. Her research interests centre on Eeyou Eenou politics and culture, self-government and nation-building, and Indigenous–state relations. She has taught in the Iyeskuwiiu Program at John Abbott College and at Concordia University
ᐧᒑᐃᔅ ᐋᓐ ᐅᑎᕌᐃᔅ
Joyce Anna Ottereyes
Coordinator of Research Systems
As Coordinator of Research Systems, Joyce develops the tools and systems that enable research governance in Eeyou Istchee. She coordinates the development of the Aashukin Regional Research Portal, supports the creation of training programs for researchers working in Eeyou Istchee, and maintains the inventory of research and monitoring initiatives across the territory. She also collaborates in the intake and pre-screening of research proposals.
Joyce Anna Ottereyes, M.Ed., is a member of the Cree First Nation of Waswanipi. She brings eighteen years of service within the Cree institutions of Eeyou Istchee, spanning institutional governance, applied research, and human resources development. She has served as a strategic advisor to senior management and elected governance bodies, in addition to coordinating inter-institutional partnerships and designing tools and training programs adapted to the realities of the territory.
Vincent Gautier-Doucet
Project Manager
Vincent has accompanied the Aashukin project since November 2023, from the consultations that led to its creation through to its current activities. As Project Manager, he coordinates the team’s work plans and committee meetings, maintains relationships with Cree organizations and research partners, and contributes to the development of governance tools, researcher training, and the Regional Research Portal.
An anthropologist by training, Vincent holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Anthropology and has worked in Quebec, Nunavik, France, and Alaska in collaboration with Inuit and Iiyiyuu organizations on research and capacity-building projects. His interests include cultural ecology and traditional ecological knowledge, research governance, and the transmission of traditional craft knowledge and land-based cultural practices.
Allison Macleod
Research Advisor
As an Advisor with Aashukin, Allison develops content for the online training for researchers visiting Eeyou Istchee. She leads the development of the modules on research history in Eeyou Istchee and on building ethical and accountable research relationships — collecting testimonies from Elders and land users about their experiences with external researchers and documenting stories of successful collaboration.
Allison is an Eenou scholar and a graduate student in Medical Anthropology at McGill University. Her thesis research in Mistissini examines how health is understood and practiced from traditional, community and medical perspectives, with a focus on miyupimaatisiiun. She has worked in public health with the Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay