Meet the Summer 2026 Executive Team for the University of Waterloo OWWA/WEAO Chapter! The purpose of the Executive Team is to lead and oversee the strategic direction of the Chapter, ensuring effective engagement within the student community. The team is dedicated to fostering a dynamic and inclusive environment that supports professional development, community involvement, and the achievement of chapter goals. While we undergo website maintenance, we will continue to add information about each of these roles below. In the meantime, feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
President
Kushani Abesekara
MASc Civil Engineering (Water)
- Chief elected officer of the student chapter
- Coordinate, attend and conduct all meetings
- Act as a liaison with the student chapter and the YPC and attend YPC meetings
- Ensure decisions, orders, and resolutions of the executive committee
- Maintains the annual budget
- Ensure student chapter continuation through succession planning
- Assist other officers of the executive committee
Kushani Abesekara is a Master’s student in the Civil & Environmental Engineering (Water) program. Her research focuses on drinking water treatment, specifically using biofiltration to remove cyanotoxins produced by harmful algal blooms. In this process, naturally occurring microorganisms break down the toxins, making biofiltration a cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and sustainable treatment method. With a strong background in biological sciences and chemistry from her bachelor’s degree in Sri Lanka, she brings an interdisciplinary perspective bridging biology and engineering to improve drinking water quality.
Vice President
Matt Goodyear
MEng Civil Engineering
- Advertise the chapter and respective events
- Familiarize with the duties of the president and other officers
- Collaborate with and support fellow executive committee members in their respective roles
- Carry out any additional tasks as delegated by the chapter president
Matt Goodyear is a Master’s student in Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of Waterloo, and is interested making positive impacts in local communities through sustainable drinking water and wastewater engineering. He also works as a process engineering trainee at an engineering consulting firm that designs infrastructure to provide safe, clean drinking water and to manage wastewater collection, treatment, and safe discharge to the environment. In his free time, Matt enjoys participating in outdoor activities such as backcountry canoeing and camping, fishing, and skiing.
Secretary
Osla Tandoh
PhD Sustainability Management
- Document meeting minutes of all meetings
- Keep the membership roster up to date
- Maintain chapter files of correspondence and program materials, including the chapter by-laws
- Ensure all materials and promotional items use the correct logo, chapter name, etc.
Events Director (Academic)
Mahta Nazari
PhD Civil Engineering (Water)
- Plan and coordinate academic and professional development events
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Collaborate with faculty, speakers, and industry partners for event programming
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Oversee event logistics, communication, and follow-up
Mahta Nazari is a Civil Engineering researcher at the University of Waterloo and a member of the Computational Hydrology Research Group. Her research focuses on flood modelling and hydrological modelling. Through her involvement with the OWWA/WEAO Student Chapter, she hopes to connect with fellow students and professionals, encourage engagement in the water sector, and foster greater engagement within the campus community through chapter events.
Events Director (Social)
Madeline Ho
MASc Civil Engineering (Water)
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Organize social events that strengthen member engagement and help to build community
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Partner with other officers to align social events with academic and outreach goals
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Oversee event logistics, communication, and follow-up
Madeline is MASc student in the WaterSTP group, and her research focuses on wildfire impacts on source water quality and treatment. She looks forward to increasing community engagement on campus and connecting with members through our chapter events.
Communications Director
Vacant
Please contact us if you are interested!
- Maintain communication with membership
- Work with other organizations to publicize chapter events
- Supports the advertisement and logistics of events organized by other officers
Social Media Director
Azi Zebarjadian
PhD Civil Engineering (Water)
- Electronic advertising of events (Instagram/LinkedIn)
- Maintain social media presence and keep profiles up-to-date
- Assist other officers in promoting the organization
Azi Zebarjadian is a PhD student in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Waterloo and a member of the Computational Hydrology Research Group. Her research focuses on hydrologic modeling, reservoir operations, and water resources management, with an emphasis on developing tools to better represent human water management decisions in watershed models. She is passionate about advancing sustainable and resilient water systems through research and collaboration. Through her involvement with the OWWA/WEAO Student Chapter, she hopes to connect with fellow students and professionals while promoting engagement in the water sector.
Website Coordinator
Michael Chislett
PhD Civil Engineering (Water)
- Maintain chapter website
- Publish events
- Keep web presence up-to-date
Michael conducts research with the River Hydraulics Research Group. Originally from Newfoundland & Labrador and having spent many summers “on the water,” he is passionate about the intersection between fluvial systems and their impacts on (or impacts from) people and society. Michael is excited to undertake a refresh of this website to improve the chapter's online presence.
Treasurer
Karthikeyen Natarajan Pugazhendhi
PhD Chemical Engineering (Nanotechnology)
- Maintains all financial records
- Assist in preparation of the annual budget and monitor chapter expenses
- Update the executive team with relevant financial information
- Assists other officers in organizing and promoting events
Writing Café Coordinator & Host
Jack Ha
MASc Civil Engineering
- Organize and host Writing Café sessions for students and community members
- Lead session promotion
- Coordinate schedules and liaise with the UW Writing and Communication Centre
Jack is a Master's student in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Waterloo, co-supervised by Dr. Bruce MacVicar & Dr. Chul Min Yeum. His research focuses developing a framework to monitor clogging conditions of storm drain inlets to mitigate urban flood risk. Jack is interested in developing sensor and vision-based techniques to support flood risk assessment and flood forecasting. In his spare time, he enjoys running, working out, and watching sports.