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
Eliane Ubalijoro
Global Hub Director, Canada; Executive Director, Sustainability in the Digital Age
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Éliane Ubalijoro, PhD, is the Global Hub Director in Canada for Future Earth, as well as the Executive Director of Sustainability in the Digital Age. Her decades of experience span academia, science-policy and the non-profit and international development sectors. She is a Professor of Practice for Public-Private Sector Partnerships at McGill University’s Institute for the Study of International Development, where her research interests focus on innovation, gender and sustainable development for prosperity creation. Her teaching over the last decade has focused on facilitating leadership development. She is a member of Rwanda’s National Science and Technology Council and has been a member of the Presidential AdvisoryCouncil for Rwandan President Paul Kagame since its inception in September 2007. She is a member of the Expert Consultation Group on the Post COVID-19 Implications on Collaborative Governance of Genomics Research, Innovation, and Genetic Diversity. Éliane is a member of the African Development Bank’s Expert Global Community of Practice on COVID-19 Response Strategies in Africa. She is a member of the newly created Capitals Coalition Supervisory Board. Éliane teaches and advises in Leadership programs to help equip executives in science, innovation and international development with tools that support inner and outer sustainable transformation towards global prosperity.
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.
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).
Mi Lin
Postdoctoral Researcher, Science-based Pathways for Sustainability & Sustainability in the Digital Age
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Mi is from Zhenjiang, southeast China where she graduated from Nanjing University (NJU) and attained a Master's degree from Peking University (PKU) in environmental sciences and engineering. Earlier this year (2020), she completed her PhD in natural resource sciences at McGill University with a focus on the issue of groundwater depletion and the promotion of resilient water-secure systems. Prior to joining Future Earth, Mi served for UNDP Ecosystem and Biodiversity team working on project coordination and knowledge management, including facilitating high-level events and dialogues (e.g. World Wildlife Day, Nature for life hub), developing and managing online public portals (e.g. PANORAMA solutions), and supporting science-based policy analysis on nature-based solutions at country-level. She is also a member of the Quebec Center for Biodiversity Science Institute and Resilience Alliance Young Scholars society. In Future Earth, Mi will contribute to the development of biodiversity and sustainability pathways through two on-going projects: Science-based Pathways for Sustainability (SBPS) & the Sustainability in the Digital Age initiative (SDA). She is also a part of first cohort of trainees in the LEADs program (Leadership in Environmental and Digital innovation for Sustainability), a joint initiative of Concordia University, Sustainability in the Digital Age and other collaborators. Mi has been passionate about international sustainable development since she was a student journalist at PKU where she interviewed Nobel Laureates and international leaders. Throughout her studies, she has set up multiple volunteer teams to empower people and protect the environment. She has also launched several innovative projects designed to improve social well-being and protect Nature, including a mobile app for recording individual carbon footprints. Mi is also an amateur musician who has been playing the Guzheng (Chinese zither) for over twenty years.
Marie d'Acremont
Coordinator, Future Earth Montreal Hub & Sustainability in the Digital Age
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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.
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.
Rachelle Fox
Digital Content and Communications Officer
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Rachelle Fox joins Sustainability in the Digital Age as the Digital Content and Communications Officer. She holds a B.A. in Journalism and Études françaises and an M.A. in Littératures francophones et résonances médiatiques from Concordia University. Her master’s research-creation project explored the intersection of theatre and social media with a specific focus on the ways people communicate and behave in digital spaces. She’s passionate about technology, sustainability, and storytelling. Rachelle is also an artist and avid snowshoer.
Nilushi Kumarasinghe
Project Manager, Sustainability in the Digital Age initiative
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Nilushi joins Future Earth as a Project Manager for the Reimagining Climate Governance Project under the Sustainability in the Digital Age Initiative. She holds a BSc in Environmental Sciences from the University of Southampton (United Kingdom) and a MSc in Environment and Resource Management from VU University Amsterdam (The Netherlands). Nilushi has predominantly worked in the INGO sector with organizations such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Wetlands International and different entities within the United Nations system. She has experience coordinating projects, conducting research and disseminating knowledge in the fields of climate change mitigation and adaptation, sustainable development and conservation. Prior to this, Nilushi worked as a Sustainability Strategy Consultant developing tools to help strengthen the role of the private sector in sustainable development.
Wendy Kuo
Project Manager, Sustainability in the Digital Age Dialogues
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Wendy embarks on her journey with Future Earth in Montreal as a project manager for the Sustainability in the Digital Age National Dialogue Series. She is a McGill University graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition. Prior to joining Future Earth, Wendy has managed the office administration for technology start-up, food and project management companies. Wendy is passionate about the culinary art, wellness and healthy lifestyle.
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.
Béatrice Ayinkamiye
Intern
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Beatrice is a Rwandan MasterCard Foundation Alumni. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and a minor in Economics from McGill University. Beatrice has also acquired a certificate in Project Management: Practice & Certification from McGill University, School of Continuing Studies, and is a Youth Trainee on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Advocacy and Implementation. She joins Future Earth/ Sustainability in the Digital Age as a Project Assistant Intern, where she will be supporting the Reimagining Climate Governance( RCG) in the Digital Age project. Beatrice is particularly passionate about poverty reduction, education, health, development, data, sustainability, inclusion and their intersection, and has recently picked interest in agriculture, the role of public-private partnerships, and youth involvement in socio-economic transformation.Beatrice is excited to learn and contribute to the work that Future Earth and Sustainability in the Digital Age do through the RCG project, and the impact it will bring to the world. Fun fact? Beatrice believes food is a love language. She recently co-founded an agri-tech start up, Food Bundles, a digital platform designed to optimize the distribution of fresh food to consumers living in cities, creating a resilient, transparent and sustainable market for smallholder farmers.
Mélisande Teng
Intern
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Mélisande Teng is a PhD student in Computer Science at Mila/Université de Montréal and is passionate about using machine learning as a tool to tackle societal and environmental challenges. She is currently working on biodiversity monitoring using satellite images and citizen science data, and on an educational tool to visualize the impacts of climate change. Prior to Mila, she worked in the fields of public health, environment and democracy. She completed a MSc degree in Engineering and Applied Mathematics at Ecole Centrale Paris, a MSc in Management and Social Entrepreneurship at ESSEC Business school, and a Master's degree in Machine Learning at Ecole Normale Supérieure. As part of the Leadership in Environmental and Digital Innovation for Sustainability- LEADs fellowship program, she joins Future Earth/ Sustainability in the Digital Age on the initiative CODES (Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability). She also likes sharing her knowledge through teaching and mentoring, playing music and drawing.