Welcome

Boozhoo/hello! My name is Niiyokamigaabaw Deondre Smiles. Niiyokamigaabaw translates to “Stands on Four Earths” in my people’s language, Ojibwemowin.

My pronouns are he/them, and my Ojibwemowin pronoun is wiin. I am of Ojibwe, Black, and Swedish descent and am a citizen of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. I am an Indigenous geographer whose research interests include Indigenous geographies/epistemologies, science and technology studies, and tribal cultural resource preservation/protection.

I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the School of the Environment at the University of Toronto.

In the fall of 2026, I will transition to a tenure-track assistant professor role in the Indigenous Studies program at Bemidji State University, where I currently serve as an adjunct instructor.

I also hold the position of Adjunct Professor at the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES) at the University of British Columbia.

I received my bachelor’s degree in Geography (2013) from Saint Cloud State University, a master’s degree in global indigenous studies (2016) from the University of Minnesota Duluth, and a Ph.D. in Geography (2020) from Ohio State University, where I also spent a year (2020-21) as a President’s Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of History.

I currently serve in several leadership roles within the American Association of Geographers (AAG) and the Canadian Association of Geographers.

I serve as the director of the Geographic Indigenous Futures Collaboratory, a research group focusing on Indigenous geographic methods and collaborations with Indigenous communities. This is in addition to affiliations with the EGESTA Lab (University of British Columbia), the Technoscience Research Unit (University of Toronto) and the Rising Voices, Changing Coasts Hub (UCAR/Haskell Indian Nations University).

I also serve on the editorial boards of NiCHE and the Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences.  I am also proud to serve my nation as a member of the Board of Trustees of Leech Lake Tribal College.

This website provides a place to learn more about me, my academic background, and my current projects. Welcome again! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.