“Biking and walking represent a lot of ideas about living in connection with the earth and with others,” Madeleine Bonsma-Fisher (BASC 2014) described. Her career in sustainability was sparked at Conrad Grebel University College, when working with a team of fellow students to purchase and install solar panels on the College’s roof. Making a big career shift after the completion of her PhD, Madeleine is now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Toronto, using data analysis to understand where more bike infrastructure is needed. “Most people are unwilling to bike in an environment that feels dangerous,” Madeleine explained. “That’s the purpose of my work – to try to make it possible to get the whole length of your route from A to B on safe infrastructure.” 

Madeleine Bonsma-Fisher
Photo by Martin Lipman / NSERC

A decade ago, Madeliene received a Bachelor of Applied Science in Physics from the University of Waterloo, after which, she continued her studies at the University of Toronto where she consecutively earned a master’s and PhD in Theoretical Biophysics. Working remotely on her PhD in Ottawa during the COVID-19 pandemic, Madeleine noted that the health crisis “made everybody think about what they wanted to do, and about current world issues.” The issue that Madeleine found herself returning to was bike infrastructure and safety. “I had been interested in transportation and biking for a long time,” she explained. “Mostly just from my own commuting and biking around on my own bike.” When she was finishing her PhD, Madeleine applied for a postdoctoral research fellowship to study cycling infrastructure, focusing on how infrastructure can have the most positive impact. 

"All the things I had planned to do socially in Ottawa didn't happen for a long time because of the pandemic, so instead I got really involved in the online bike advocacy world in Ottawa,” Madeleine said.  Bike Ottawa is an advocacy group  that advocates for biking and bike infrastructure. “I started working with its volunteer group called the Data Working Group,” Madeleine explained. “They made cool visualizations and maps using any data they could find that had to do with biking.” This group was where Madeleine was exposed to different ideas about city building and transportation. “It was great to use those data science skills from physics in a volunteer setting, doing something I care about,” Madeleine stated. “I started to think, maybe I could actually do this as my job.” She had initial concerns that if she started focusing on bike infrastructure as a job, she would stop liking it, “because if you make something work it starts to be less fun sometimes. But that hasn't happened at all, which is great for me – it's been really fun.”   

Madeleine had been frustrated about the state of cycling since she first brought her bike to university. “I didn't use it much in first and second year because I was living on or near campus,” she said. “But I started biking more seriously when I started my first co-op job in Kitchener – that's when I got a balaclava and splash pants and started biking every day.” This was also Madeleine’s first experience living in a city and getting around  without a car. “One of the first times I rode the bus was when I started at UWaterloo, with my Grebel buddy,” she described. “They had to explain to me how to pull the cable to get off the bus. Since then, I've been hooked on cities.” 

For her first term of university, Madeleine connected with Grebel as an off-campus resident. “I had heard really great things, but I didn't know anybody there at the time,” she said. “It was a new place with new people.” Madeleine then moved into residence that winter term, which she described to be a "life-changing, formative experience” where she made friends that she is still very close with, including her first-year roommate. “There was lots of self-discovery,” she stated. “You can just be yourself – you can explore all these different parts of yourself, different interests and ways of socializing or being." 

While living at Grebel, Madeliene participated in Solar Grebel, a project that involved installing three solar thermal panels on the roof to pre-heat water in the residence. “I don't remember exactly how it started, but there was a group of about six to eight of us who started meeting regularly and picked up discussions with contractors and suppliers and went forward with it,” she explained. “It was nice to be able to feel like we made a lasting impact for sustainability at Grebel.” Now, when Madeleine visits Kitchener-Waterloo, she is happy to notice sustainable infrastructure in the city, like the new bike lanes and street designs. “It's a lot different than it was,” she described. “I really hope we can build cities and environments where everyone can have what they need and can access what they need.”  

When she’s not crunching numbers or pouring over cycling data, Madeleine enjoys a variety of crafts. "I do a lot of knitting, crocheting, and sewing,” Madeleine said. “I like plants, especially indoor plants.” She also spends time hiking, camping, and running, especially when the activity involves her family. “One of the fun things has been trying to find ways to integrate my kids into my hobbies – I learned pretty early on that it’s really boring to hang out with a baby, unless you're doing something that you enjoy,” Madeleine explained. “My son just learned how to ride a pedal bike this summer, and that was a really proud moment for me. I have another baby as well – she's five and a half months old. She does not bike (yet), but she rides my bike.” 

“At Grebel, I had many opportunities to do what seemed fun and interesting, and that led me in unexpected directions, and I'm grateful for that,” Madeleine shared. “I'm grateful for meeting people that I would not normally have crossed paths with.” She advised current students to “pursue the things that seem interesting and fun. Don't stress too much about what's going to happen next and enjoy what you have.” 

By Natasha Forth

Madeleine Bonsma-Fisher (BASC 2014) earned a BASC in Physics from the University of Waterloo, and both a master’s and PhD degree in Theoretical Biophysics from the University of Toronto. She investigates the engineering and planning of bike lanes as a postdoctoral researcher. She lives in Toronto with her husband Kent and their two children. 

Madeleine's story is part of Grebel's 60 Stories for 60 Years project. Check out our 60 Stories page for more articles in this series. If you would like to nominate a Grebel alumnus to share about their experiences at Grebel, please submit a nomination form.