Summit Speakers | Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics

Referred to as “the most famous astronaut since Neil Armstrong,” Colonel Chris Hadfield became a household name as the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station. A heavily decorated astronaut, engineer, and pilot, Hadfield’s many awards include the Order of Canada, the Meritorious Service Cross, and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal.  Hadfield is also a bestselling author of four books, an acclaimed musician, and the host of two internationally acclaimed television series, including National Geographic’s One Strange Rock.  

In January 2018, Dr. Yimer was appointed as Director General of the NRC's Aerospace Research Centre. Following a successful career in applied reserach in the field of gas turbine combustion and fuels, Dr. Yimer has held positions of increasing responsibility at the NRC, including Director of the Gas Turbine Laboratory for 10 years.

He is well recognized in the Aerospace science and technology community where he currently serves as Vice-Chair of the International Forum for Aviation Research (IFAR) and a Director on the board of AeroMontreal, WestCARD, International Society of Air Breathing Engines (ISABE), and International Congress of Aeronautical Sciences (ICAS).

Dr. Yimer holds and MSc and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.

To advance science in these areas of interests, Derek is currently using remotely piloted aircraft to remotely sense agriculture and urban areas using thermal, multi-spectral, and LiDAR sensors. Collected data are used for a variety of purposes that include: quantifying natural processes (e.g., erosion, carbon storage) at the scale of individual property parcels or agricultural fields; calibrate and validate models of natural processes; and among other interests, generate 3D immersive environments for visualization and knowledge transfer.

Dr. Vlasea is an Assistant Professor and the Research Co-Director of the Multi-Scale Additive Manufacturing Lab. Her research focuses on innovative design, process optimization and adoption of new materials for powder bed fusion and binder jetting additive manufacturing processes. Dr. Vlasea collaborates closely with industry partners in the additive manufacturing supply chain and applications, including aerospace. In recognition of her scholarly work, student mentorship, and industry outreach, she was recognised as the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) 20 Most Influential Academics 2021 and as the SME Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer 2020.

Jean Thomassin was appointed Senior Director, New Product and Service Introduction (NPSI) at Pratt & Whitney Canada in 2020. In his role, Jean oversees the company’s efforts to develop enterprise level requirements for future sustainable propulsion systems, technologies and business models.

Jeremy Wang is co-founder and COO of Ribbit, a venture-backed startup creating the world's first airline to use fully autonomous aircraft. Since founding in 2020, Ribbit completed the first hands-free gate-to-gate flight in Canada, received approvals for remotely piloted test flights in Alberta, signed on multiple online retailers and wholesalers, and has been awarded a federal contract to resupply remote northern communities. Prior Ribbit, Jeremy was CTO of one of Canada's top drone operators and named as one of AIAA's 20 Twenties in 2018. He holds a BASc in Engineering Science from the University of Toronto, and a PhD in Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering from the University of Waterloo.

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.

In January 2012, following a 31-year career with the Government of Canada, Peter joined CFN Consultants, Canada’s premier aerospace and defence consultancy. At CFN, Peter advises clients on the Canadian aerospace, defence and security market with respect to government procurement, industrial offsets and the Canadian defence industrial base.  

In addition to his work with CFN, Peter serves on the Advisory Board of the “Best Defence Conference”, and in January 2017, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise selected Peter to be the first Canadian member of its Beachhead International Advisor Program. Peter was invited to become a CFN Partner in June 2021. 

Russell is an expert in sustainable propulsion at Pratt & Whitney Canada, having worked in sustainable aviation for more than 15 years. Russell currently works in advanced engineering and future product development. Prior roles include leading P&WC’s product sustainability program and advanced design of environmentally friendly aircraft at Bombardier Aerospace. Russell completed his Master’s in Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT in 2010 with research focused on the life cycle climate impacts and energy demands of sustainable alternative jet fuel. Russell completed his Bachelor’s in Engineering Physics at Queen’s University in 2008.

Don holds an MBA from Vancouver Island University, an honours degree from Wilfrid Laurier University, and is an accredited airport executive with IAAE Canada. Prior to joining the senior management team at the Nanaimo Airport, he was an Airport Manager in the Kootenay’s, Production Manager at an approved maintenance organization in Muskoka, and earned his commercial pilot licence in London. Don is pursuing his passion for innovation and sustainability in the aviation industry and leads the development and implementation of policies and programs that support environmental management, decarbonization, and advanced air mobility. He currently serves on several local, provincial, national, and international airport operations and environment committees.

Becoming a pilot was transformational, truly giving this Métis woman wings. Teara is the Founder of Iskwew Air, the bridge between traditional air service and the sustainable technology of the future. She has recently launched an aero tech company – elibird aero. She believes that together in this innovative space we will reimagine, rematriate, and rebuild our air transportation system - centering equity and sustainability. Teara holds a Master of Arts in Leadership degree from Royal Roads University and the journey of learning now takes her back to Royal Roads as Adjunct Professor. Teara serves as a Board Director for Aerial Evolution.

Grant is a senior executive with KF Aerospace, one of Canada’s leading aviation companies. An HR professional by trade for over 30 years, Grant has successfully led KF through significant workforce challenges in the MRO, airline, and flight training sectors. Grant has been recognized with an Honorary Fellow from Okanagan College and a Distinguished Fellowship from Mohawk College and is a strong proponent of training and development, partnering with colleges, universities, industry associations, and recently opened a daycare for staff.

Ms Natesa MacRae is the Clean Fuel Technologies lead for CNRC’s Low Emission Aviation Program and a senior researcher in aircraft electrification and green engineering.

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.

John is President of The Barnes Global Advisors and the CEO/Founder of Metal Powder Works. John has a 30+ year career in product development and aerospace with Honeywell, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works™, Australia's CSIRO and Arconic. He's been involved in metal additive manufacturing throughout this career, beginning in the late 1990s when he was part of the Sandia National Labs LENS™ CRADA.

As Head of Transformation and Post Merger Integration, Amaryllis oversees Airbus Canada's multi-functional Sustainability team. This project team brings together all the skills and business areas of the A220 program to lead the way and implement Airbus' approach to Sustainability: respecting the planet, valuing people and enabling prosperity.

Mr. Di Bartolomeo has worked with the founding partners of INSAT (the Initiative for Sustainable Aviation Technology™ of Canada) to stand up a joint industry-government technology eco-system that will support the growth of one of Canada's most innovative and export-driven sectors – Aerospace. Mr. Di Bartolomeo currently serves as the Chairman of the Interim Board of Directors of INSAT.

Emily Nield is a sustainability practitioner focused on reporting and the transition to zero carbon futures in the built environment. Previously, she was a planetary geologist at NASA, where she studied Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, along with Mars. Her research focused on how the atmospheric conditions on planetary bodies shaped the surface of these bodies. She primarily worked in the Planetary Aeolian Laboratory, where she recreated planetary atmospheres in wind tunnels. She doubled majored in Physics and Geography at Trent University, received her Masters in Geology at the University of Tennessee, and obtained her MBA from the Schulich School of Business

Dr. Elizabeth Irving is a clinician/scientist with internationally recognized expertise in vision science including eye tracking and binocular vision. Good vision is widely being advocated as an important factor learning. Irving has led a variety of different types of studies; evaluating ocular parameters, validating novel testing procedures, investigating the need for stereopsis (depth perception) in military helicopter pilots, studying the effects of space flight on the eye, studying eye tracking in concussion and investigating new ways of educating the public on eye disease and eye care.

Derek is a Research Officer in multi-material additive manufacturing at the NRC’s new Advanced Materials Research Facility in Mississauga, ON. Here, his research deploys advanced manufacturing tools to achieve tailorable material properties in clean energy devices, combining functional chemistry with topology design and optimisation. Previously, Derek was a researcher with the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Advanced Concepts Team, studying in-space manufacturing and functional materials for future space infrastructure. Derek holds a M.A.Sc. degree in materials science and engineering from the University of Toronto and earned his B.Eng. in materials engineering from McGill University.

Craig has over 19 years of experience as a public service professional and has worked in a variety of roles with FedDev Ontario since its creation in 2009.  His experience includes work on several funding programs that supported municipal infrastructure improvements, collaborative industry/academia research, innovation cluster development, and Business Growth.  Craig has also managed FedDev’s Intergovernmental and Stakeholder Relations unit and, since 2016, he has been supporting Canada’s aerospace and defence industries as the aerospace, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity lead on FedDev Ontario’s Industrial and Technological Benefits Unit. 

Keith Johnson is an architect and associate with Figurr Architects Collective. Since joining the firm in 2005, he has developed his technical and managerial skills to bring innovative approaches to aviation training centre design worldwide. He brings deep knowledge and expertise in technical design solutions to Figurr and his clients.

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.

Shi Cao (“SHER TSAO”) studies human factors engineering. His research projects include human performance and workload modeling, human-machine system reliability, the applications of virtual and augmented reality, and new aviation training technologies. Cao has developed computational cognitive models and human performance prediction systems (Google Scholar list). He is also the director of Human Optimization Modelling Lab (HOMLab) and the Committee Chair of the Collaborative Aeronautics Program.

Dr. Ben Thompson is a professor in the Department of Optometry and Vision Science, working out of the Human Visual Neuroscience Laboratory. Thompson’s research is concerned with human visual cortex development and plasticity. With regard to aviation, he is interested in techniques that can enhance performance on new visual tasks such as those encountered during training programs for pilots and air traffic controllers.

Captain John Craig is a graduate of the University of Waterloo and the Aviation program at Seneca College and is currently the Director of Training for a major airline in Canada, responsible for all pilot training programs. He currently flies the Boeing 777 and has over 30 years of experience in flight training in various roles from ab-initio to turboprop and large jet transport aircraft.

CAAM is a Federal Not For Profit organization that acts as the catalyst for the new Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) industry in Canada. AAM is defined as unlocking Zero-Emission (Electric & Hydrogen) Aircraft to operate in Canada both as flying vehicles and larger commercial airplanes. AAM operations focus on moving people, goods and services in both piloted and remotely piloted aircraft on intra-urban and inter-regional routes.

Dr. Martin (Marty) Smith completed his undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Waterloo and since completing his Ph.D. in Psychology from the Université du Québec à Montréal 28 years ago he has developed numerous decision-making software solutions that target and mitigate the psychological drivers for operational non-compliance.  Airlines, Air Navigation, and Airport Authorities around the world have deployed his solutions. Marty is a noted conference speaker and consultant to IATA, ICAO, TSB, NTSB, Eurocontrol, and Flight Safety Foundation.  Most importantly Marty remains an active pilot, having accumulated numerous endorsements and licenses over his 43 years of flying.

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.”

Mélissa Després is Program Director of the Advanced Manufacturing program since 2022. She is responsible for providing the vision, direction and the leadership in the delivery, adoption and impact of the research. She is also responsible for leading world-class resources and actively managing key relationships and alliances with partners, government and industry to ensure optimal positioning, organizational alignment and delivery in the national interest.

Chris works with leadership organizations to help them better understand and respond to shifting stakeholder expectations, build trust with key constituencies and exert greater influence in shaping the future. Chris has two decades of experience in providing evidence-based counsel in the areas of reputation, purpose and sustainability. He is passionate about building trusted and recognized leadership for GlobeScan’s clients.

Houssam Alaouie is the Global Head of Collaboration and Government Programs, and Academic Partnerships at CAE. Over his 26-year career, Houssam gained extensive experience in R&D, product development, and innovation management in the aerospace sector. During his 23 years at CAE, he held key positions in project and product management, driving strategic technology development initiatives. Notably, he managed the development of new-generation technology platforms for flight simulators and major R&D collaboration programs. He is also a director and founding member of the Initiative for Sustainable Aviation Technology of Canada (INSAT), working towards a green industrial transformation in the aerospace industry. Furthermore, Houssam is a co-founder and vice president of the Canadian Mobility and Aerospace Institute (CMAI), which fosters workplace learning activities for current and emerging workers in the Canadian mobility industries.

Charles H. Cho, PhD, CPA is Professor of Sustainability Accounting and the Erivan K. Haub Chair in Business & Sustainability at the Schulich School of Business, York University. His research interests include Social and Environmental Accounting; Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR); and Accounting and the Public Interest. His work was published in leading academic journals such as Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal, Accounting, Organizations and Society, Business & Society, Critical Perspectives on Accounting, European Accounting Review, and the Journal of Business Ethics. He currently serves as an Editor of Accounting Forum; the Accounting and Business Ethics Section Co-Editor of the Journal of Business Ethics; and Associate Editor of Business & Society.

Luc Pouliot cumulates 30 years of experience in surface engineering (thin film deposition, thermal/cold spray processes, laser-matter interaction) as well as in the development of online, non-destructive sensing techniques for related industrial process control. In the last 5 years, apart from his CEO role at Polycontrols, he has focused on the industrialization of cold spray additive manufacturing (CSAM), including the development of sustainable, industry 4.0 repair solutions for the aerospace, surface transportation and energy sectors. In parallel, Luc has been and still is very much involved with the materials community; he is a Fellow of the ASM International, and a Past President of the Thermal Spray Society.

Bruce is a Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Environment. He is an Urban Planner and Geographer, and teaches in the International Development program. His research interests fall within the broad ambit of sustainable cities, and encompass the three related areas of human migration, urbanization and food security.

As Purolator’s Director, Air Network Operations, Jay Kirkpatrick pilots Operational aspects of the company’s air operations, serving the Canadian domestic and international courier and transportation markets.

Mark is the manager of Venture Projects at Transport Canada’s Innovation Centre. Mark can be found working on a range of projects related to 21s century policy areas including modernization, innovation and digital government, and much of Mark's work involves emerging technologies.

Geoff leads the Mechanical and Structural design teams at Kepler Communications. He comes from a mixed industry background with a heavy focus on space systems design and some time spent on electric vehicles and product design. At his core he is a designer with a passion for challenging the paradigm and working with his team to leverage advanced manufacturing in order to rapidly iterate through problems. Geoff has leveraged both additive and advanced manufacturing across a number of satellites at various sizes.

Meet Marvin Pelletier, a proud member of Fort William First Nation and co-founder of Maawandoon Inc. and Carbonix Inc. Marvin's expertise in Indigenous community engagement has made Maawandoon a leading national firm. By drawing on their deep understanding of local governance, community protocols, regulatory frameworks, and legislation affecting Indigenous communities, Marvin and his team guide projects to completion. Their approach is rooted in fostering collaboration and honouring the values and aspirations of the communities they serve.

Juliana joined the aviation industry soon after her undergraduate studies at McGill University. Mrs. Lisi has almost 20 years of environmental compliance experience for aviation fuel consortia in Canada. Within the last few years, Juliana’s focus has shifted to sustainability and more recently, to sustainable aviation fuels. Her latest role has her aiming to decarbonize aviation through the Canadian Council for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (C-SAF).

Kevin Graham is the Director - Applied AI, Global Innovation and Incubation at CAE. During his extensive career working for large Global Systems Integrators, ISVs and Consumer Electronics companies, he designed and implemented enterprise solutions for clients in multiple industries.

Over the last 10 years, he has led numerous Advanced Analytics and AI engagements ranging from developing data-driven cloud-based applications, optimizing business processes, Buy/Sell side M&A analysis and Training Analytics.

Anna was appointed as Professor and Head of the Centre for Air Transport Management at Cranﬁeld University in October 2023 and has responsibility for developing Cranﬁeld’s internationally renowned MSc programme in Air Transport Management and Airport Planning & Management, and associated research activities. She also holds a leadership role in developing industry-led research activities within DARTeC, the Digital Aviation Research and Technology Centre, focusing on digital transformation for safe, seamless and sustainable air travel. She has over 20 years of aviation management experience across a number of operational, fleet, risk and safety and project management roles.

Paul is a sustainability researcher with a passion for low carbon aviation and a love of teaching. He brings social science expertise to a diverse set of energy and development research projects, often with engineer colleagues. He has 175 publications and over 230 presentations on a broad range of projects: zero-carbon buildings, energy retrofits, smart grid technologies, renewables in remote communities, sustainable economic development and community energy planning. Electric and low carbon aviation is the next challenge.

Richard Rubin is a Founding Partner of Figurr Architects Collective and has been a lead designer for many of the firm’s most complex commercial, corporate, residential and aviation-related projects over the past three decades. He has been designing and managing the construction of aviation training centre facilities for more than 20 years.