Our team

Sarah Burch is an expert in transformative responses to climate change at the community scale, innovative strategies for making progress on sustainability, and the unique contributions that small businesses can make to this solving this complex challenge.

Jose Di Bella is the manager of research and partnerships at the Waterloo Climate Institute. Jose works closely with the Institutes’ researchers, partners and collaborators to advance community engaged research. He also leads the Institute’s research development strategy and knowledge mobilization programs. Jose’s experience includes a significant international focus on the social and economic aspects of climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, as well as the design and implementation of climate and sustainability strategies. Jose is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the department of Geography and Environmental Management.

Simon Glauser is the managing director of the Waterloo Climate Institute. He oversees the strategic planning and operations, and the development of the organization’s membership and partnerships.

Natalie Heldsinger is the communications officer at the Waterloo Climate Institute. She has a background in Communication Studies and French (BA) and Environmental Studies (MES). Natalie is responsible for creating communications content, disseminating member research, organizing events, and supporting press releases and media requests for the Climate Institute.  

Thy Huynh is a Project Coordinator at the Waterloo Climate Institute supporting a variety of research projects, administration, and event logistics. Thy is passionate about creating a positive impact at the intersections of equity/environmental justice, climate change, and public health. Through the recent completion of an MES at the University of Waterloo, she is committed to uplifting marginalized voices and lived experiences to the climate and health policy landscape while mobilizing and translating this knowledge into impactful local action.

Michèle Martin is the training program specialist at the Waterloo Climate Institute. Her role is to support university-wide climate change educational programming, as well as to advance and coordinate external professional development and training opportunities. Michele has over thirty years' experience in sustainability and climate change education and capacity building in Canada and internationally and holds a PhD in Environmental Studies from York University. 

Viv Maclean is the Data Specialist with the Waterloo Climate Institute working with the Canadian Cryospheric Information Network/Polar Data Catalogue (PDC). Viv has twenty years' experience in environmental data and database management. She has a background in science (B.Sc. Hons. and PgDip).

Waleed Qaisar Ashfaq is the Information Systems Specialist for the Polar Data Catalogue, hosted at the University of Waterloo. He supports Polar Data Catalogue systems and software and is the technical lead for the OpenDAP initiative at the Waterloo Climate Institute.

Greg Vey is the Director of Research Data Strategy for the Waterloo Climate Institute as well as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management, at the University of Waterloo. His role involves the strategic planning of data architecture and infrastructure, with particular attention to data discovery and interoperability. He oversees operations for the Polar Data Catalogue and Canadian Cryospheric Information Network, which involve strong cross-institutional collaborations through initiatives such as the Canadian Consortium for Arctic Data Interoperability.

Elanor Waslander is the Training Program Specialist and Interim Communications Officer at the Waterloo Climate Institute. She is responsible for supporting communications, knowledge mobilization, events, and press releases. Elanor has over 15 years of experience working in climate and sustainability sectors building capacity, mobilizing knowledge, and engaging partnerships. She has a background in environmental science (BES), education (B.Ed), and studies (MES).

Darren Wynes is the Project Coordinator at the Waterloo Climate Institute. He is responsible for assisting in the implementation of the Institute’s projects and activities, project administration, event logistics, and financial support. He has a background in finance and recently completed a Masters in Environmental Studies and Graduate Diploma in Climate Risk Management at UWaterloo.

Connor Khoja is the Outreach and Project Assistant at the Waterloo Climate Institute. He supports knowledge mobilization, student and member outreach, and climate change initiatives like policy briefs and research projects. Connor is currently pursuing a BSc in Physics and Astronomy, with an interest in the connections between climate change and astronomy.