The Faculty of Environment and EGSA are hosting a virtual alumni networking night on Thursday, November 18 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. Come and meet with nine former graduate students from the Faculty of Environment who will talk about their experiences after graduation and the skills that helped them along their career paths. There will be the opportunity to talk with graduates from specific industries including public, private, and academia. Look forward to seeing everyone there!
Meet the panelists:
Academic sector:
Climate Change, Resilience and Sustainability Analyst at WSP
Senior Watershed Biologist, The City of Calgary
Peat Resource Specialist at Government of New Brunswick
Stakeholder Engagement Specialist at Government of Alberta
Learn More About the Panelist
Sevil Berenji (MES '20, Sustainability Management)
Project Coordinator, V2V Global Partnership, University of Waterloo
Sevil Berenji is a Project Coordinator of the V2V Global Partnership project at the University of Waterloo. She is also an experienced Freelance Graphic Designer who focuses on the environment, people, and sustainability through her creative designs. Sevil has a Master’s degree in Sustainability Management from the University of Waterloo and a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Middle East Technical University, Turkey.
She has worked as a Graphic Designer & Media Support at the University of Waterloo, as an E-commerce Coordinator at ShopHERE powered by Google, and as a Graphic Designer at Communitech, where she supported small to medium-sized businesses to pivot their business strategies. Prior to that, Sevil worked in the area of graphic design and CAD drafting in collaboration with architectural firms where she presented numerous architectural and urban projects by illustrating conceptual and technical designs and models.
During her Master’s degree at Waterloo, she worked on the research topic “The Role of Values and Beliefs in Small-scale Fishery and Dried Fish Production: An Exploration of Social Well-being in Fishing Communities of Sagar Island (Indian Sundarbans)” under the supervision of Prof. Prateep Kumar Nayak
Eric Camm (MSC '11, Geography)
Senior Watershed Biologist, The City of Calgary
Originally from Ontario, Eric moved to Alberta seven years ago to join The City of Calgary. He is currently the Sr. Watershed Biologist with the Water Quality Services division. He oversees the city's long-running watershed monitoring program and is working on several projects related to source water protection, including urban stormwater characterization and water quality impacts due to wildfire. In his spare time, he enjoys scrambling mountains and exploring the outdoors by bike.
Jude Kurniawan (MCC'14, Climate Change | PhD ’20, Geography)
Researcher, Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS)
Jude arrived at the University of Waterloo in 2013 to attend the inaugural Master of Climate Change program. After graduating with MCC in 2014, Jude went on to do his PhD. He successfully completed his PhD in Geography in 2020 under the supervision of Dr. Vanessa Schweizer from KI as well as Dr. Johanna Wandel from GEM as the co-supervisor from 2014 to 2018. During his time as an environment graduate student, Jude served as an executive committee member for STEC (Student Teaching Excellence Committee) from 2017 to 2019. He also secured research internship positions at the Singapore University of Technology and Design on two separate occasions (Jan2016-Apr2016, and Sep2019-Jun2020).
Today, Jude is a postdoctoral research associate at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies e.V. (IASS) in Potsdam, Germany. At IASS, his research focuses on understanding the systemic impacts of the global energy transition and their implications on the Global South. For this research project, Jude is leading the energy transition scenario work using a technique he developed during his PhD as a tool to better understand different pathways in which society could evolve in the future.
Sarah Lynn Fries (MES '20, Sustainability Management)
Climate Change, Resilience and Sustainability Analyst at WSP
Sarah is a young sustainability professional with a passion for projects that engage and enrich communities. She holds a BA in psychology from Wilfrid Laurier University and an MES in Sustainability Management from the University of Waterloo. Sarah currently works as a Climate Change, Resilience and Sustainability Analyst for WSP Canada, and has previous experience working in public and non-profit sectors.
Kevin Heenan (MEB 2016, Master of Environment and Business)
Energy and Sustainability Analyst at BGIS
Kevin Heenan is a sustainability professional with over 10 years invested in helping businesses operate more efficiently. He is currently an Energy and Sustainability Analyst at BGIS, and is part of a team overseeing the first ever ISO 50001 certified Energy Management System for a North American telecom. He is focused on helping his client invest in more efficient equipment and technology to keep critical environments operating optimally. He is also a volunteer with Credit Valley Conservation and enjoys golfing and fishing in his spare time.
Elizabeth Hendriks (MES 2007, Environment and Resouces Studies)
Vice President, Restoration and Regeneration at WWF-Canada
With a lengthy background in water policy, Elizabeth leads WWF-Canada’s Freshwater team to reverse the decline of freshwater ecosystems across the country through policy, technology and community building. Elizabeth has considerable experience working internationally and nationally on water policy and led the release of the first national assessment of the health and stressors to Canada’s freshwater. Elizabeth holds a BA in International Development from Dalhousie University and a MES from the University of Waterloo.
Emily Prystupa (MSC '20, Geography (Water))
Peat Resource Specialist at Government of New Brunswick
Emily graduated with her Masters of Science in Geography and Environmental Management in June of 2020. Her thesis looked at carbon dynamics in a reclaimed peatland near Fort McMurray, Alberta. After completing her Masters, Emily began working for the Government of New Brunswick as the Peat Resource Specialist, responsible for managing New Brunswick’s peatlands on Crown Land.
Navroop Tehara (MA '13, Geography)
Stakeholder Engagement Specialist at Government of Alberta
Navroop Tehara holds a Masters's in Planning from the University of Waterloo. After graduation, he moved back to Alberta in pursuit of employment in the field of policy.
Navroop has worked with the Government of Alberta over the last 5 years in a variety of policy analyst positions with the Ministry of Seniors and Housing, Transportation and Health. He is currently working with the Ministry of Job Economy and Innovation supporting the development of a Pharma-Life Science Sector Strategy.
In his spare time, Navroop enjoys cycling, boxing and running.
