PhD Candidate, McMaster University
Anwar Sheluchin
I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in political science at McMaster University. My research interests broadly include Canadian and comparative politics, elections, public opinion, financial governance, and digital currencies. My doctoral research involves investigating the institutional and political dynamics of digital currency adoption.
I hold the position of Doctoral Fellow at McMaster University’s Digital Society Lab, where I am actively engaged in research at the intersection of technology, politics and finance. Within this research environment, I lead several projects that examine public attitudes toward digital currencies.
Featured Articles
Crypto curiosity leads Political Science student to lab position researching digital currencies
Like many people in the mid 2010s, Anwar Sheluchin was hooked by Bitcoin. But unlike most, she decided to turn that passion into an academic pursuit at McMaster, where she’s now undertaking a PhD and working in a lab project researching digital currencies.
“Once I finished my undergrad, I actually was working full time in the financial district in Toronto,” she said. “And this also happened to be around the time when Bitcoin was constantly in the news, and so I was really intrigued by it and fell into a rabbit hole learning more about the technology and the digital currency itself.
Is a central bank digital currency really so loonie?
As Canada contemplates a major shift in its monetary system with the potential introduction of a digital Canadian dollar, a crucial voice is missing from the conversation: yours.
Conservative MP Ted Falk recently introduced Bill C-400, which aims to ensure continued access to cash across Canada and includes a provision that would prohibit the Bank of Canada from issuing a digital form of the dollar. Though the bill is unlikely to pass under the current Parliament, it offers a rare opportunity to deepen our understanding of the future of money and rethink democratic participation in decision-making.
Teaching
More about my teaching & service roles at McMaster
Publications
Learn more about my research contributions and publications
Research
Learn more about my research interests and ongoing projects.
My research agenda
Politics of digital currency adoption
My doctoral research focuses on the institutional and political dynamics surrounding the adoption of digital currencies. Specifically, I examine how political actors, regulatory institutions, and global financial frameworks shape the development, acceptance, and governance of digital currencies, including both decentralized cryptocurrencies and Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs).
Public Opinion
I am currently investigating public attitudes towards cryptocurrencies and other digital currencies. Previously, I worked on the COVID-19 Monitor project, a rolling public opinion study on the dynamics of the pandemic.
Financial regulations and governance
Funding, grants, and awards
Brooke and Irene Townsend Scholarship [2025]
Congress Graduate Merit Award [2024]
SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship-Doctoral [2022-2025]
MITACS Accelerate Doctoral Fellowship [2022-2025]
Project: Advancing the reliability of social media discourse as a measure of public sentiment about COVID-19
Ellen Louks Fairclough Memorial Scholarship [2022]
MITACS Accelerate Doctoral Fellowship [2020-2021]
Project: COVID-19 Monitor: a rolling public opinion study on the dynamics of the pandemic
Graduate Scholarship (PhD), McMaster [2020-2024]
Graduate Scholarship (MA), McMaster [2018-2019]
Education &
Professional Associations
Education
PhD (Political Science), McMaster University [In progress]
MA (Political Science), McMaster University [2019]
BA (Health Policy), York University [2016]
Professional Associations
Canadian Political Science Association
