Current students

Congratulations to Bashirah Salami, and Gurpreet Singh, for being selected as finalists for the 2026 GRADflix video competition! 

GRADflix is a video competition for graduate students designed to highlight their research in sixty seconds or less to a non-specialized audience. The competition highlighted both the impact of their academic work and their ability to convey complex ideas clearly and creatively. 

Adv. M. Hafijul Islam Khan (Hafij Khan), PhD candidate in the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development under the leadership of Prof. Prateep Nayak and Dr. Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger, has been elected as an Alternate Member of the Paris Agreement Implementation and Compliance Committee (PAICC). In this role, he plays a pivotal part in facilitating the Paris Agreement’s adoption, adherence and compliance as a climate change negotiator and the alternate member of PAICC. The prestigious appointment recognizes his longstanding leadership and expertise in international climate change law and governance, particularly in the area of loss and damage associated with climate change.

In recent news, Gurpreet Singh, a PhD Candidate in Sustainability Management, was featured for their work on the environmental impacts of space activity. 

The number of satellites within Earth’s orbit has greatly increased since 2020, which has led to better broadband connectivity and enhanced Earth observation capabilities. However, this rapid expansion of satellites brings challenges over increased light pollution, increased radio frequency interference, disruptions to circadian rhythms and disruptions to traditional celestial navigation systems.

The School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED) is pleased to recognize 15 new graduates of the Masters of Environmental Studies in Sustainability Management, and 14 new graduates of the PhD in Sustainability Management for the 2025 academic year. The following theses were completed, orally defended and are now publicly available on the University’s thesis depository.

As Global Entrepreneurship Week 2025 begins, we’re spotlighting 10 standout entrepreneurs from the University of Waterloo — students and alumni who are challenging norms, redefining industries and building a better future. These innovators are not only making waves in their respective fields but are also setting the pace for what’s next for society, health, technology, the economy and sustainability. 

The SEED department would like to congratulate Kwaku Twum (PhD in progress), founder of Mapkot, for his accomplishments. 

Interested in reading the full article, please check out 10 Waterloo entrepreneurs to watch

First-year students in Waterloo’s Sustainability and Financial Management (SFM) program—an innovative initiative offered by the School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) in partnership with the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED)—came together to plant 100 native trees and shrubs on Waterloo’s north campus last week. 

SEED Graduate Seminar Series 

Congratulations to SEED graduate student Ruyel Miah for winning the Kawazana Commendations Award by the Asian Fisheries Society (AFS) during the 14th Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum 2025 (14AFAF) in New Delhi, India. The conference was organized by the Asian Fisheries Society in association with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the Department of Fisheries (DoF), the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Government of India, and the Asian Fisheries Society Indian Branch (AFSIB).

The School of Environment, Enterprise and Development is delighted to introduce Professor Julie Bernard, who brings her expertise in sustainable finance as part of the SEED faculty starting January 2025. Professor Bernard’s research centers on sustainable finance, responsible investment, and shareholder activism, with a focus on the integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria and their role in addressing climate change.

This talk traces the implications of fisheries policy-making and management decisions on research and monitoring practices with a view to offering insights on the potential strengths and limitations of the evidence base for fisheries management. It then “turns the telescope around” so to speak and considers how data collected as part of fisheries monitoring programs typically contributes to decision-making in practice and the extent to which most fisheries management decisions are data-driven, evidence-based and transparent in nature. The talk draws from the Canadian experience but seeks to offer perspectives on fisheries management structures and practices more generally.

Title of the Webinar: Connecting data to Fisheries Decision-Making and Policy: Observations from A Practitioner in the field
Date: Oct 27, 2023 (Friday)
Time: 12:00 PM UTC to 1:15 PM UTC (8:00 AM EDT to 9:15 AM EDT - 1:00 PM WAT to 2:15 PM WAT - Convert to your local time here)
Speaker: Trevor M. Swerdfager| Practitioner-In-Residence, School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability & Fellow, Balsillie School of International Affairs, Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo

YouTube link (watch this webinar live and participate in its Q&A session)