Contacts

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Parastoo Emami

Executive committee member

Lowine Hill

Executive committee member

Caitlin Laidlaw

Executive committee member

Navya Nair

Executive committee member

Keely Stenberg

Executive committee member

Chen Yang

Executive committee member

Ana Carolina Esteves Dias

Executive committee member (former)

I am originally from Brazil, where I graduated from the State University of Campinas in 2012 with a four years degree in Biology. I also hold a degree in Biology Education and a MSc in Ecology from the same University. Since 2016, I am a PhD candidate at the University of Waterloo. Through my years of studying, I became fascinated by the research field in Applied Ecology and interdisciplinary research concerning social and environmental issues. My primary research interest lies in human and environmental interactions, especially regarding environmental governance towards social and ecological sustainability. I understand that human well-being depends on nature, and nature is affected by human actions. Therefore, humans and nature may be considered as two subsystems of the same social-ecological system. My motivation in this field is to identify which elements combine to generate a balance between nature conservation and human well-being and how these could be applied to environmental governance. I am also engaged with outreach activities at the coastal zone in order to foster environmental stewardship and local development.

Joanne (Jo) Fitzgibbons

Executive committee member (former)

Jo is a M.E.S. student in the School of Planning. Her main research focuses on issues of justice, discourse and participation in planning for urban climate resilience in Canadian and international contexts. More specifically, her thesis deals with the role of collaborative planning as an indicator of justice during Toronto’s participation in the Rockefeller Foundation’s “100 Resilient Cities” program, as well as how power relations shape the construction of the city's associated resilience strategy. She is also collaborating with other U.W. researchers on projects relating to disaster risk reduction amphibious housing, and visualization tools for flood risk communication.

Before coming to Waterloo, Jo completed a double-major in Geography and International Development Studies from Saint Mary’s University in her home city of Halifax, NS. Her past work has focused on community-based research in a range of applications, from environmental monitoring to local economic development.

Janetta McKenzie

Executive committee member (former)

Janetta is a PhD student in the Department of Geography & Environmental Management. Her research interests include the role of the energy sector in the development of climate change policy, the securitization of climate change, and the interaction between private and public sector interests in combating climate change. Prior to joining the program, Janetta received Master’s degrees from the London School of Economics and the University of Sydney, and completed her BA in political science at the University of British Columbia. She has experience working in the Alberta energy sector and for the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary.

Jude Kurniawan

Executive committee member (former)

Jude H. Kurniawan is a doctoral candidate at the University of Waterloo, Department of Geography and Environmental Management and holds Energy Council of Canada’s Energy Policy Research Fellowship. He is currently researching new approaches for developing multi-scale scenarios and applying those techniques for constructing Canada’s low-carbon energy futures. Jude’s work is also supported by Canada’s Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC). Together with his doctoral advisor, Dr. Vanessa Schweizer, Jude co-authored an article presenting a systematic approach of multi-scale scenario analysis. His forthcoming publication explores how social influences on transport system would shape the expectations of the future of urban mobility in Singapore. Jude holds a B.Sc. from Northeastern University and Master of Climate Change from the University of Waterloo.

Aravind Kundurpi

Executive committee member

Aravind is a PhD student in the department of Geography and Environmental Management (GEM).  Aravind’s research interests are in climate change adaptation and mitigation, environmental policy analysis, and urban studies.  Prior to entering GEM's PhD program, Aravind was a sustainability planner with ICLEI Canada and produced biodiverCITIES: A Handbook for Municipal Biodiversity Planning and Management. Aravind’s PhD research will focus on green infrastructure governance and urban sustainability transitions. 

Katherine Laycock

Executive committee member (2015-2018)

Katherine is enrolled in PhD studies in the Faculty of Environment's School of Planning. Her research seeks to identify barriers to local stakeholder cohesion and information mechanisms to improve planning for adaptive response to climate change in complex urban areas of the Philippines and Southeast Asia. Katherine’s passion for engagement encouraged her to initiate a mentorship program within her department and prompted her to join STEC in 2015 where she assists with numerous endeavours. In addition, Katherine volunteers with the Association for Graduate Planners as a Brown Bag Lunch Coordinator; founded and coordinates Supporting Women in Gender Issues (SWIGI), a monthly gender focused speakers series and discussion forum; and is a committee member for the HeForShe 10x10x10 campaign in the Faculty of Environment. Outside campus, Katherine serves as a Personal Responder for the Disaster Management Team, Cambridge Branch of the Red Cross.

Tomm Mandryk

Executive committee member (2016-2017)

Tomm is a current Masters student in the Faculty of Environment’s School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability. His research focuses on exploring the effects of fire as a management tool to guide the restoration and conservation alvars - one of the world’s most globally-rare ecosystems. His research explores experimental burning techniques for the conservation of habitat composition and structure for species at risk and grassland breeding birds. He previously explored the behavioural ecology of African male elephants as it related to crop-raiding behaviour on farms in the Makgadikgadi and Nxai Salt Pans in Botswana. Tomm joins STEC in 2016 after having managed and transitioned a rural health care clinic in the Dominican Republic between 2008-2012. He has also served on the Board of Directors for the Dominican-Canadian Community Development Group and St. Paul’s College at the University of Waterloo. Tomm has been instrumental in progressing the mandate of several student organisations through various executive roles in his undergraduate career. Tomm’s passion to engage with STEC is driven by a need to redefine the classroom, teaching modes, and styles, to deliver material in new and innovative ways, which cater to the multitude of learning styles exhibited by diverse students in post-secondary institutions in a world driven by hands-on practical applications. Let the box be redefined!

Nina Pulver

Executive committee member (2014-2017)

Nina is a PhD candidate in the School of Planning, researching how management of private green space can support or conflict with municipal climate adaptation goals. Having worked in “the real world” as a landscape architect for six years before returning to school for her PhD, Nina is keenly interested in linking academia with professional practice, and joined STEC in 2015 with a view to bridging this gap. She completed the Fundamentals in University Teaching certificate through the CTE in 2015, and currently sits on the Canadian Association of Landscape Architects’ Climate Adaptation Task Force as a representative Ontario practitioner and consulting academic. Nina uses her work with STEC as a platform for learning how to create a healthy balance between work, home, social life, volunteering, travel, Twitter, and Netflix.

Jespal Panesar

Executive committee member (2013-2016)