Vanier Scholar is improving heatwave resilience
Irfhana Zakir Hussain, a PhD student in the School of Public Health Sciences and Systems Design Engineering, has been awarded a 2025 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship.
Irfhana Zakir Hussain
Zakir Hussain is working to predict and map which Waterloo neighbourhoods are most at risk of harm during heatwaves using new and existing data.
“Heat is one of the most immediate and severe consequences of climate change,” Zakir Hussain says. “It is something that we can physically feel but not necessarily know what to do about.”
Her project, Design, Development, and Deployment of an Adaptable and Environmentally Sustainable Big Data Framework for the Prediction and Mapping of Climate-Related Health Risks, under the supervision of Drs. Plinio Morita, Moojan Ghafurian and Jasleen Kaur. Through the Vanier Scholarship, she will receive $50,000 per year for three years toward her studies.
“It is an honour to have been nominated in the first place, with so many talented people here at the University of Waterloo,” Zakir Hussain says. “The Vanier Scholarship recognizes students doing important research, but it also provides them with the space to do that research without worrying about external factors with respect to finances and credibility.”
Read the fully story, Improving heatwave resilience in the Waterloo community