Ajar Sharma is a Ph.D. student in Systems Design Engineering. He has a Masters in Water Management and background in hydrology and is currently working with Vanessa Schweiser (Knowledge Integration), and Keith Hipel (Systems Design Engineering). His research interests include climate change, water, Cross Impact Balances (CIB), conflict resolution, and sustainability.
Julia Goyal is pursuing a Joint Interdisciplinary PhD at the University of Waterloo between the School of Public Health and Health Systems and Department of Mechatronics and Mechanical Engineering under the supervision of Dr. Ellen MacEachen and Dr. Arash Arami respectively.
Alex Petric is a PhD Candidate in Urban Planning at the University of Waterloo, working under the supervision of Dr. Dawn Parker. His previous work includes master’s degrees in Rural Planning & Development (2019) and Applied Mathematics (2016). Prior to his Ph.D. studies, Alex worked in rural research, data analysis, and consultancy positions.
Alex’s research explores how urban environments affect social capital, which refers to the density and quality of social connections and the benefits that flow from them. His studies focus on missing middle housing (higher-density low-rise developments) and their potential community benefits. Alex's work uses agent-based modelling alongside in-field research to study how housing type, housing mix, and social infrastructure affect social capital formation, with an aim to help planning practice to support social capital formation and reduce social isolation among urban residents. Alongside this research, Alex has worked as a Research Assistant for the SSHRC-funded study “Why did the Missing Middle miss the train?” and was part of a team that reached the national semi-finals for the 2022 Map the System competition.
Natalya Siddhantakar is a PhD Candidate in Sustainability Management at the School of Environment, Enterprise, and Development, working under the supervision of Dr. Vanessa Schweizer. Her research interests include just and equitable transition to sustainable low-carbon economic practices, systems thinking, sustainability accounting, and cross-impact balances (CIB) analysis.
Kwaku Owusu Twum is a sustainability management PhD candidate with almost a decade of multidisciplinary research experience at the intersection of digital innovation, spatial planning, climate resilience, and sustainable food systems.