Increases funding for Engineering’s research enterprise through large-scale, strategic initiatives in partnership with industry and government funding agencies; Promotes Engineering’s research capacity and expertise to external parties, and supports Engineering researchers’ applications to government programs.
Kashvi Bhatia is a Social Media and Web Associate at the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA). Kashvi supports various communications projects focused on sustainable aviation and aerospace. She is responsible for assisting with website management, as well as content production, audience engagement and strategy for social media communications.
Kashvi is a second-year co-op student in the Honours Psychology program at the University of Waterloo. She provides a creative approach to tasks and plans on growing her communication and business mindset during her term with WISA.
With over 23 years of extensive experience spanning the eLearning, marketing communications, and creative services industries, Charu is a PMP certified project manager and a Green Belt in Six Sigma. She has been working on WISA's eLearning courses and the LMS platform. Her responsibilities include eLearning course development, managing the Learning Management System (LMS), user management and data analytics, customer experience and administration of payment gateways including Shopify store of WISA.
Prior to her current role, Charu served as a Senior Project Manager in the e-Learning and Marcom division and as Associate Director of Creative Services at renowned firms such as KPMG, Genpact, and GE. She also served as a part-time Professor of Project Management at Conestoga College for more than 3 years, bringing her industry experience into academia. Throughout her career, Charu has been able to work on delivering impactful creative solutions across diverse industries.
Maryam works with Waterloo faculty and industry partners to bridge strategic partnerships in support of advancing aviation research, education, and innovation.
A seasoned writer and strategist, Claire develops integrated communications plans to advance WISA's sustainability initiatives. Her portfolio includes content planning for the WISA website and newsletters, promotions for the institute's events and a suite of print and digital publications. Claire also supervises the team's co-op student to develop content for WISA's social media channels.
Prior to joining WISA, Claire held several roles in the University of Waterloo's Office of Advancement. She created proposals and reports for generous donors, oversaw the content calendar for the alumni news website and served as a contributing editor of Waterloo Magazine.
Michael McPhee is an Aeronautics Research Assistant at the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA). As an active member of the team, Michael plays a role in supporting research projects focused on sustainable aviation and aerospace. He is responsible for operating WISA's flight simulator, collecting and analyzing data, and ensuring the smooth execution of test protocols.
As the Director of Strategic Research, Patty leads a talented team of professionals to engage researchers and industries to strategically grow WISA’s research portfolio to bring new sustainable initiatives to commercialization. Responsible for managing WISA’s industry and government funded collaborative research portfolio, Patty is accountable to identify, develop, implement and sustain WISA’s research mission.
As the Aeronautical Research Coordinator and eLearning Course Coordinator at WISA, Rafael is responsible for the day-to-day operations of WISA’s AL250 flight simulator while supporting the development of eLearning courses. With his experience in aviation, Rafael provides insightful feedback to graduate students and faculty to enhance their research focused on sustainable aeronautics.
Rafael is a graduate of the University of Waterloo’s Science and Aviation program with a Bachelor of Science, Commercial Pilot Licence, and Group 1 Instrument Rating. In addition to supporting WISA’s outreach initiatives, Rafael applies his aviation knowledge to advance the Institute’s mission of being the world’s leading hub for sustainable aeronautical research, technology, and education.
Vlad works with professors and companies to match interests for the purpose of collaborative research and commercialization projects with a focus on social sciences, applied health science, and environment. Some of the areas under Vlad’s portfolio include education technology, medical technology, e-health, human-computer interaction, gamification and digital media, smart cities, geo informatics, digital economy, fintech, and transportation.