Global Futures

The University of Waterloo was founded with the goal of addressing local and global challenges through unconventional means. Our unique approach to developing future-focused solutions – built on boundary-breaking research, experiential education and entrepreneurship – inspires innovation for real-world impact. Over the years, that goal has not wavered, but the challenges have evolved.

Dr. Marcel O’Gorman is a University of Waterloo Research Chair and founder of the Critical Media Lab. Strategically located in the heart of Waterloo Region’s tech hub, the lab is an interdisciplinary research initiative that explores the ethics and impact of technology on society and the human condition.

With innovations happening at a rapid pace, technologies are often adopted before the full impact on culture and human behaviours is understood. We asked O’Gorman how we should lead technological transformation to ensure a safe and human-centred digital future.

Dr. Sarah Burch is the Canada Research Chair in Sustainability Governance and Innovation and a leading expert in transformative responses to climate change at the community scale. She currently leads the international partnership-based research project TRANSFORM, accelerating sustainability entrepreneurship experiments in local spaces, and is an advisor for Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy.

Celine Isimbi is an undergraduate student in the Faculty of Environment and works to support equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) initiatives across campus. She was formerly the environmental education co-director with Black Girl Environmentalist, a non-profit aimed at creating space for underrepresented voices in the mainstream environmental movement.

Dr. Ashley Rose Mehlenbacher is the Canada Research Chair in Science, Health and Technology Communication and leading expert on how communication practices shape how people engage with scientific and technical subject matters.

Dr. Nada Basir
Professor, Faculty of Engineering
> Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business

The work world has been permanently transformed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Esteban Veintimilla is the CEO and co-founder of 1Mentor, a company using artificial intelligence to understand industry's evolving skills requirements. Veintimilla is also an advisor for students entering their first co-op work term at the University of Waterloo’s Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business.

Talent leads the way in shaping innovative ecosystems that grow local and global economies. We asked ​ Veintimilla how we should develop talent to support resilient economies for the future.