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Brief Biography

Sandra is a doctoral candidate and SSHRC Doctoral Fellow in the Department of Global Development Studies at Queen’s University. She holds an M.A. in Development Studies from York University, an M.A. in Sociology from McMaster University, and a B.A. (Hons.) in Social Psychology from McMaster University. Before beginning her doctoral studies, she worked as a consultant in Peru's mining sector, where she is originally from. 

Research Interests

Sandra's research engages with debates around resource extraction and development. She focuses on resource governance, sourcing initiatives, and revenue-sharing systems in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). For her doctoral dissertation, using a "following the thing" methodology, she examines the experiences of artisanal copper miners, their communities, traders, and processing plants as they navigate the challenges and opportunities of Peru's ASM (in)formalization process. Her work is situated within the broader context of an increasing demand for critical minerals. 

Awards

• 2022-2026 SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship
• 2024-2025 MinErAL Research Network Scholarship
• 2025 Canadian Association for Latin American and Caribbean Studies Travel Award
• 2024 Karl Polanyi Graduate Student Essay Prize, runner up, Canadian Association for the Study of International Development
• 2023-2024 International Development Research Award (IDRA)- IDRC (declined)
• 2020-2021 Canada Graduate Scholarship-Master's Program (SSHRC)
• 2020-2021 The Paavo and Aino Lukkari Fieldwork Research Award
• 2020-2021 York’s University Graduate Fellowship

Teaching Experience

Teaching Fellow:

• DEVS 356: The Political Economy of Resource Extraction (Winter, 2025).

Teaching Assistant:

• DEVS 101: Development Studies in Global Perspectives (Fall 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025)
• DEVS 102: Canada and the World (Winter 2022, 2024)
• DEVS 230: The Global Political Economy of Development (Winter 2024)
• DEVS 365: Trade and Investment in the Global South (Fall 2023)

Selected Publications

McKay, S. (2026). Critical minerals or criminal miners? The (in)formalization of artisanal and small-scale copper miners in Peru. The Extractive Industries and Society. 25, 101811.  

McKay, S. and Hall, R. (2025). Gold as something to be Proud of? Contradictions of ethical consumerism in artisanal and small-scale gold mining. Third World Quarterly. 46(13), 1647-1666.   

McKay, S. (2025). Entering the Critical Era: A review of contemporary research on artisanal and small-scale mining. The Extractive Industries and Society. 21, 101590.

Melendez, L. and McKay, S. (Forthcoming). Are some minerals more governable? Copper mining materialities and formalization of artisanal and small-scale mining in Peru.