Dr. Kirsten Fantazir is the President’s Applied Research Chair in Public Safety at Lethbridge Polytechnic and a faculty member in the School of Justice Studies. She holds a PhD in Psychology with a focus on technology and learning in criminal justice contexts, along with a Master of Education in Distance Education, a Bachelor of Education, a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Sociology, and Anthropology, and a General Studies diploma from Lethbridge Polytechnic.
Before being appointed as the institution’s first President’s Applied Research Chair in Public Safety in 2022, Fantazir served as an instructional designer in the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Innovation and later as an instructor and curriculum developer in the School of Justice Studies beginning in 2010. Her connection to Lethbridge Polytechnic began much earlier; starting in 1999, she worked in several roles across the institution, including police recruit instructor, registration assistant, marker, and computer instructor. Since stepping into the research chair role, she has led major applied research initiatives through the Centre for Public Safety Applied Research (CPSAR), securing more than $3M in grant funding, partner contributions, and fee-for-service projects in just 3 years, and overseeing a multidisciplinary team of faculty and student researchers collaborating with public safety, community, technology, and academic partners.
Fantazir’s current research includes reintegration of marginalized populations through art-based practices, technology‑facilitated gender‑based violence among youth, virtual-reality assessment of police applicants, and post‑traumatic stress injuries in public safety professionals. Her work is grounded in strong community collaboration, evidence‑informed practice, and meaningful partnerships with Indigenous organizations, with a focus on generating real‑world solutions that strengthen public safety organizations and the communities they serve.