Together, we combine our strengths and expertise to identify priorities, catalyze research, and develop evidence-based solutions.
WISA is made up of passionate researchers, innovators, and leaders who contribute their skills, knowledge, and resources to the development of sustainable solutions in aeronautics.
Our members include faculty, researchers, graduate students, staff, and other members from the University of Waterloo and beyond.
Dr. Suzanne Kearns, Founding Director
The Founding Director of WISA is the distinguished Dr. Suzanne Kearns who is responsible for the high-level management of WISA operations. She is supported by four Associate Directors whose duties align with the three pillars of sustainability (social, environmental, and economic), as well as the WISA team.
WISA Associate Directors
The Associate Directors of WISA support the Director in identifying critical research issues in the areas identified by the WISA Board and Advisory Committee. This includes coordinating the research strategy, liaising with faculty members to facilitate research teams, developing and evaluating research projects that are critically important for the strategic direction of WISA. They are also responsible for the engagement of faculty colleagues to achieve the objectives of WISA.
Dr. Gülnaz Bülbül, Social Pillar
Gulnaz joined GEM in 2023, after spending 2 years as an assistant professor at Eskisehir Technical University, Faculty of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Her research focuses on Operations Research in aviation, particularly on optimization problems related to air transportation planning and scheduling, where she develops models and solution methods for large-scale optimization problems. She also collaborates in various fields of Aviation Management, addressing different aspects of sustainability in aviation, where quantitative data analyses are essential.
Dr. David Del Rey Fernandez, Economic Pillar
Before joining the University of Waterloo, David was a research scientist at NASA Langley Research Center and the National Institute of Aerospace. David's research interest is in developing efficient and robust numerical algorithms for the solution of partial differential equations based on novel numerical methods with provable properties, applicable to high-performance computing systems.
Dr. Mehrdad Pirnia, Environmental Pillar
Dr. Mehrdad Pirnia, a PhD Waterloo alumnus in Electrical and Computer Engineering, is a faculty member and Graduate Attributes lecturer in the Department of Management Sciences. His main research focus is enhancing the operation and planning of energy and transportation systems through artificial intelligence, optimization and stochastic techniques. He has previously held positions with California ISO, ALSTOM Grid, and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
Dr. Amr ElAlfy, Strategic Initiative Pillar
Dr. ElAlfy is a Co-investigator for the municipal net-zero action research partnership (N-ZAP ) project, reflecting his commitment to advancing sustainability at the local level. He has been instrumental in the development and translation of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Sustainability Universal and Sector Standards, reinforcing his status as a key contributor to the field of sustainability disclosure.
