The Montreal, Québec office of Future Earth hosts the Executive Director.
The founding of Future Earth in Montreal was a collaboration between Montréal International, the Fonds de recherche du Québec and Montreal’s academic institutions (Concordia University, McGill University, Université de Montréal, UQAM, INRS, ÉTS, Polytechnique), and the Ouranos climate research consortium.
Canadian Hub Staff
Amy Luers
Senior Advisor, Future Earth & Global Director, Sustainability in the Digital Age
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Amy Luers is the global director of the Sustainability in the Digital Age Initiative and senior advisor to Future Earth. Luers also sits on the Foresight Committee of the Veolia Institute. She has over 25 years of experience working at the intersection of science, technology and policy. A former assistant director on climate resilience and information in the Obama White House and senior environment manager at Google, she is a member of the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations and has served on committees of the U.S. Global Change Research Program and the National Academies of Sciences. Dr. Luers started her career working in rural water development in Latin America as co-founder and the first executive director of Agua Para La Vida (Water for Life). She spent a number of years directing the water and climate security work at the Skoll Global Threats Fund. She sits on several advisory boards including the Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative, STS Forum Regional Climate Action, the IEEE Committee on Ethically Designed AI for a Sustainable Planet, the International Observatory on the Societal Impacts of AI and Digital Technologies, and the US National Council for Science and the Environment. Amy Luers holds a Ph.D. in environmental science and an M.A. in international policy studies, from Stanford University; a B.S. and M.S. in environmental systems engineering from Humboldt State University; and a B.A. in philosophy from Middlebury College. She has published in both peer-reviewed and popular media on big data and the digital age, science communication, climate policy and vulnerability and resilience of human-environmental systems.
Alyson Surveyer
Hub Manager and Head of Global Operations, Canada
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Alyson Surveyer is the Future Earth Montreal Hub Manager and Head of Global Operations. Prior to this role, Alyson worked at Future Earth on urban issues. She holds a Bachelor’s degree with honours and Masters degree in chemical engineering from École Polytechnique de Montréal. Her Masters was completed at the International Reference Center for Life Cycle of Products, Processes and Services (CIRAIG), in collaboration with Rolls-Royce Canada. The thesis investigated alternative fuels for gas turbines in a 2020 global electricity generation perspective. Before joining Future Earth she worked as a consultant in sustainable development for clients in the private and public sectors and was coordinator of the Inter-university Research Center in High Performance Polymers and Composites (CREPEC), where she had diverse mandates such as to heighten industry-university collaborations as well as the reach and visibility of its members. Alyson was also a course lecturer from 2014-2016 at HEC Montréal in sustainability and operations management. Alyson’s career objective is to build a strong and diverse community of researchers, government officials, and industries that will develop and put in motion production systems and policies to achieve global sustainable patterns. She truly believes that Future Earth will pave the way.
Andréa Ventimiglia
Science Editor & Advancement Officer, Sustainability in the Digital Age & Future Earth
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Andréa currently employs her wide complement of skills in research, analysis, editing and evaluation as Science Editor and Advancement Officer for both Future Earth and Sustainability in the Digital Age. Her approach to writing and fundraising is rooted in her diverse professional experience spanning program evaluation, international development, freelance science writing, and laboratory research. Prior to joining Future Earth, Ms. Ventimiglia worked as a science program evaluator helping to measure and valorize the societal impact of research and research funding. She holds a B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Waterloo, and a Masters in Journalism from Carleton University.
Marie d'Acremont
Hub Coordinator, Montreal
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Marie d'Acremont coordinates the administrative activities of the hub (including human resources, finance and general administration), whilst acting as university partnerships liaison and translator of external communications. She holds a BSc in Sociology from Kingston University, London UK and an MSc in Environmental Sciences from l'Université du Québec à Montréal.
Jennifer Garard
Research Manager, Sustainability in the Digital Age
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Jennifer Garard brings an interdisciplinary background to the role of Research Manager, where she coordinates, advances, and oversees all research-related activities at Sustainability in the Digital Age. For two years, Jennifer was a Science Officer at Future Earth, acting as liaison to the Advisory Committee, engaging in projects such as the Global Risks Perceptions initiative, and coordinating the Futures CoLab project. Prior to this, Jennifer was a researcher with the working group Scientific Assessments, Ethics, and Public Policy at Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change in Berlin, Germany, and an intern with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity Health and Biodiversity Cross-Cutting Initiative. She holds a BSc in Environmental Science from McGill University, specializing in Biodiversity and Conservation (2008), a Master of Environmental Assessment from Concordia University (2013), and a PhD from the Technische Universität Berlin (“Stakeholder Engagement at the Science-Policy Interface,” 2018).
Paula Monroy
Communications Coordinator, Future Earth & Sustainability in the Digital Age
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Paula Monroy has been a staff member since 2017. As Communications Coordinator of the Canadian Hub, she also works with the Global Communications team. Paula is formally educated in sustainability and urbanism, specialising in indigenous methodologies and holistic planning. Moreover, she has over two years of practical experience in multimedia communication—including media production as a video journalist and graphic design. For now, Paula is based in Montreal, Quebec, caring for her houseplants and practising Environmental Wellness.
Nilufar Sabet-Kassouf
Strategic Programs Manager, Sustainability in the Digital Age
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Nilu joins Sustainability in the Digital Age as Strategic Programs Manager, working collaboratively with the Global Director to streamline and oversee the implementation of the initiative's activities. She holds a BSc in Cell and Molecular Biology from Concordia University and an MSc in Biochemistry from McGill University. After her studies, her interests in neuroscience and music led her to collaborate on research projects at The Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, investigating the relationship between music and mindfulness. Other areas of interest include the preservation of biocultural heritage, as well as the protection and conservation of mountain areas. Nilu is also a musician, a yoga instructor and an avid rock climber who boulders competitively in her free time.