Dr. Marlene Santin is a Professor in the School of Public Safety and in the Honours Bachelor of Social and Community Development Degree in the Faculty of Applied Health and Community Studies. She received her Masters and PhD from the Department of Sociology at McMaster University and Bachelor of Arts degrees with honors in both Sociology and History from Western University. Her PhD dissertation examined the economic, political, social and legal causes of the abolition of the British transatlantic slave trade.

Prior to joining Sheridan College, Marlene held senior policy and research positions with the Government of Ontario, working on a range of issues, including the rights of crime victims and social welfare in Ontario. Marlene was also an instructor at McMaster and Western University, where she taught numerous courses in research methods, statistics, social inequality and theory. Her current SRCA funded research explores human trafficking risk and prevention as well as the development of a Digital Game Based Tool to evaluate child and youth anti-human trafficking programs. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed journals. 

She is passionate about animal welfare and rescue. In her spare time, she volunteers at a local animal shelter leading program development, assisting with shelter cleaning and providing fundraising support.