Vasundhara Saravade, Founder & Mentorship Coordinator
Vasundhara is a doctoral candidate in Sustainability Management at the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED), University of Waterloo. She oversees the day-to-day functioning of the Waterloo Women Leading Academia (WWLA), which involves mentorship coordination activities, meetings held with the Faculty Advisory Council and outreach to potential members.
Her research focuses on the growth of climate finance markets like green bonds and the incentives for behaviour change in these markets. Vasundhara completed her Master of Environmental Studies (MES) in Sustainability Management from the University of Waterloo and a B.A. (Hons) from Carleton University in 2016. Over the past few years, Vasundhara has also consulted on policy-related topics across India, Indonesia and Canada. She has also written on these topics on various platforms like The Conversation Canada, Smart Prosperity Institute blog, Huffington Post and the Times of India. She runs a low-carbon lifestyle blog called The Great Green Life, likes to cook and connect with people who share similar interests.
Blessing Ajayi, Partnership & Operations Coordinator
Blessing is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Sustainability Management at the University of Waterloo’s School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED). She coordinates Waterloo Women Leading Academia (WWLA) blog that is a platform for relevant issues and topics related to mentorship in academia. Blessing is also a part of the Mentorship Coordination Committee that pairs up participating mentors with their mentees.
Her research interests lie in the nexus between sustainability management, sustainable trade, climate change and partnerships for sustainable development. She is particularly interested in research that focuses on harnessing trade for the achievement of sustainable development, and in equipping developing countries for the future of trade regimes. She is also an associate fellow at the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL), and enjoys reading, cooking and exploring waterfront parks.