Profiles

Dr. ElAlfy is a leading scholar in sustainability disclosure and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) issues, with a particular focus on non-financial reporting practices. His research explores the significance of sustainability risks and opportunities through a double materiality lens, connecting financial and non-financial metrics to aid decision-makers in promoting sustainable growth and responsible investment strategies. He serves as the Associate Director of the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA), where he focuses on enhancing ESG performance within the aeronautics sector.

Charles Clarke is a Professor of Computer Science and the Associate Dean for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Waterloo. His research focuses on data intensive tasks and efficiency, including search, ranking, question answering, and other problems involving human language data. He has supervised to completion over 30 graduate students and published over 200 refereed contributions on a wide range of topics, including search, metrics, user interfaces, filesystem search, natural language processing, machine learning, and databases.

Dr. Chris Houser is the Dean of Science and Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Waterloo. His research examines the response and recovery of coastal barriers to extreme storms and changes in wave activity with a changing climate. He also conducts research on beach safety at the interface of the social sciences and psychology to reduce the number of rescues and drownings.

My research program is primarily focused on issues related to freight transportation and logistics although I have a broad interest in transportation at all levels and geographies. I’m really intrigued by the flows of people and goods that underpin social and economic interactions and the complex impacts of those flows.

David Del Rey Fernández is an Assistant Professor at the University of Waterloo, Department of Applied Mathematics. Before joining the University of Waterloo, he was first a postdoctoral researcher and then a research scientist at NASA Langley Research Center and the National Institute of Aerospace. His 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. David’s research is focused on developing the mathematics and algorithms for the efficient solution of a broad class of time-dependent partial differential equations in the context of mathematically rigorous numerical frameworks. In particular, the emphasis is on:1) robust numerical methods, 2) mesh adaptation, 3) approaches for dealing with geometric complexity and moving meshes, and 4) machine-learning algorithms for automation and increased efficiency. 

Dr. Evan Risko is currently an associate professor and a Canada Research Chair in Embodied and Embedded Cognition in the Department of Psychology at the University of Waterloo. Since receiving his PhD at the University of Waterloo, he has been pursuing his research interests in issues related to the embodied and embedded nature of cognition and the utilization of cognitive psychology to help improve practices in education and training. He has published over 100 papers, received research funding from numerous agencies (i.e., NSERC, SSHRC, CFI), worked with numerous industry partners and received various accolades for his research including Early Career awards from the Psychonomic Society, the Province of Ontario, and the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour and Cognitive Science.

Dr. Ewa Niechwiej-Szwedo completed her graduate work at the University of Toronto and joined the University of Waterloo in 2012. Her research program is grounded in systems neuroscience and focuses on discovering the fundamental mechanisms involved in the central nervous system control of eye and hand movements across the lifespan. She has expertise in the field of visuomotor neuroscience, including gaze behaviour, hand-eye coordination, motor skill development and learning. 

Hamid Jahed is a Professor in the Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering Department. He is the Director of the Fatigue and Stress Analysis Laboratory (FATSLab) at the University of Waterloo. Professor Jahed’s research interests lie in the mutiscale characterization, modelling, and life enhancement of lightweight materials under cyclic loading, and the development of solid-state additive manufacturing using cold spray technology. Jahed has received several awards including Faculty of Engineering and Sandford Fleming Foundation Teaching Excellence Award, and Engineering Research Excellence Award. 

Shirley Tang is a professor and associate dean of science at the University of Waterloo. She carries out research in nanotechnology. Central to her effort is the creation of materials and devices based on graphene, carbon nanotubes, and their chemical derivatives, primarily for biomedical applications. Her research interests encompass nanomaterials and nanodevices for biology and medicine, biomolecule assisted nanomaterial self-assembly, and the health and environmental effects of engineered nanomaterials. Her lab is equipped with state-of-the-art instruments tailored for nanocarbon-based synthesis and characterization and a biosafety II cell culture lab dedicated to the investigation of nanocarbon-biosystem interactions. 

Dr. Suzanne Kearns is an aviation academic with a focus on education and optimizing pilot performance, receiving her PhD from Capella University in 2007. Her research explores how to optimize the next generation of aviation professionals (NGAP) by analyzing processes to attract people to the field of aviation, optimizing and innovating the traditional education pathway, and improving the retention of professionals within the field. She is a former airplane and helicopter pilot and is internationally recognized within the aviation industry.

A focus on sustainable energy conversion and chemical production processes! XiaoYu Wu is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering. He obtained his PhD and was a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)He also obtained his MS and BS degrees in Zhejiang University. He is enthusiastic about sustainability, especially how clean technologies can impact sustainability and how developing countries can incorporate sustainability in development. He has published papers in journals such as Progress in Energy and Combustion Science, the Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, AIChE Journal and ChemSusChem. He serves as the Guest Associate Editor in an open-access journal Frontiers in Energy Research for a theme collection of “Sustainable Hydrogen for Energy, Fuel and Commodity Applications.”