Meet Our Team

With extensive experience in the public, private and non-profit sectors, David Agnew became the fifth president of Seneca Polytechnic in July 2009.

Mr. Agnew was Secretary to the Cabinet and head of the public service in the Government of Ontario, Canada from 1992 to 1995 after serving as Principal Secretary to the Premier. He then led the Public-Private Partnerships Project and was seconded to Massey College at the University of Toronto where he was a Senior Resident.

Previous executive positions have included President and CEO of UNICEF Canada, Principal for the consulting firm Digital 4Sight, Executive Vice-President and Corporate Secretary for the Credit Union Central of Ontario and Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments.

Mr. Agnew’s working life started in high school as a newspaper reporter in Toronto and he continued his journalism career in St. John’s, Ottawa and Edmonton. He graduated from Memorial University of Newfoundland with a B.A. in political science and was a Parliamentary Intern at the House of Commons of Canada.

Mr. Agnew is Chair of ventureLAB, an innovation hub. He currently is a director of the Conference Board of Canada and Mitacs.

Past Chair roles include the boards of Canada’s Drug Agency (CDA-AMC), Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Polytechnics Canada and Colleges Ontario.

He is a recipient of the Queen’s Diamond and Platinum Jubilee medals in recognition of his community and public service. In 2018 he received the Award of Distinction from the Public Affairs Association of Canada.

Dr. Alice Aiken is the immediate past Vice-President Research & Innovation at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. She is a full Professor in the Faculty of Health, her research focuses on health systems transformation and evidence-informed policy making, with a focus on military and Veteran health. Dr. Aiken is currently on the boards of the Halifax Partnership and the Advisory Boards of several not-for-profits and start-up companies. She holds her ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) and has been a Director and Chair on numerous Boards.

She was formerly the Dean of the Faculty of Health at Dalhousie. She started her academic career at Queen’s University where she founded and was the first Scientific Director of the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research, a unique consortium of over 50 Canadian and 15 international universities dedicated to researching the health needs of military personnel, Veterans and their families.

She received her PhD and Master from Queen’s University, Canada, her Physical Therapy degree from Dalhousie University, and a BSc in Kinesiology from the University of Ottawa. She has also completed the Directors Education Program through the Rotman School at University of Toronto, and the ICD. She also proudly served in the Canadian Armed Forces for 14 years, first as a ship’s navigator in the Royal Canadian Navy, then as a physiotherapist, earning her a Canadian Decoration medal.

In recognition of her research leadership in military and Veteran health research, she served as the Honorary Captain (Navy) for Canadian Forces Health Services Atlantic, and is a Dame of the Order of St George. She has received a Distinguished Alumni Award from Queen’s University, the Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, The King Charles III Coronation Medal, and the Chapel of the Four Chaplains Legion of Honor Bronze Medallion (USA).

Bing Cao is the founder and CEO of Nanode Battery Technologies, a leading Canadian company specializing in the development of advanced battery materials for electric vehicles, energy storage systems, and electronics. In her role, Bing has been instrumental in steering the company’s growth, spearheading technological innovations, and driving the adoption of clean energy solutions.

With a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Alberta, Bing’s expertise encompasses renewable energy technologies, including solar cells and batteries. Her leadership at Nanode Battery Technologies reflects her deep commitment to advancing cutting-edge research and operational excellence.

In addition to her corporate achievements, Bing is a passionate advocate for promoting diversity in STEM fields. She has actively supported young people, particularly women, in science and technology. Her prior experience as VP of the Nanotechnology Group at the University of Alberta involved securing funding for outreach initiatives and commercialization workshops, further showcasing her dedication to fostering the next generation of scientific talent.

Len Daniels is Principal of Daniels Management Consulting (DMC), specializing in Human Resource and Management expertise and helping organizations that are looking to improve business results and utilize the talents of their most important assets, their people.

Len’s career in Human Resources and Business Management began in the private sector, which lasted close to 15 years. Len has been fortunate to work in different HR sectors such as Agriculture, Call Centre, Insurance, Business Registry, Liquor, Gaming, Policing, Sports & Entertainment, as well as Canada’s Public Broadcaster. These experiences have provided him with a range of experience in unique and diverse environments.

Len is currently working with the Law Society of Saskatchewan in the role of Director, Human Resources. This role is responsible for providing Human Resource service, expertise, and counsel to the Law Society’s Executive, Professional Staff, and Support Team.

Len holds a Degree in Administration from the University of Regina in partnership with the First Nations University of Canada, along with a Chartered Professional of Human Resources (CPHR) designation. Len is a proud member of the George Gordon First Nation.

As Vice President of Cash Management Technology Canada, Alex is responsible for the technology strategy, delivery, and support of the Commercial digital channels and cash management solutions within the Canadian market. Prior to this role, she was VP of Transformation and Chief Operating Officer for Technology and Operations, where she was responsible for defining and operationalizing RBC’s technology strategy and driving transformational change. Previously, Alex led Borealis AI, RBC’s research and development lab for artificial intelligence (AI), where she and her team built and deployed leading-edge AI solutions to complex business problems found across the enterprise. Before joining RBC, Alex held several leadership roles at the intersection of technology, innovation, and finance. She holds a PhD in operations research from the University of Toronto. Throughout her career, Alex has been a thought leader in finance and technology, with a particular emphasis on AI ethics and the development of robust enterprise AI systems. She currently sits on the Government of Canada’s AI Task force in support of the evolution of Canada’s AI strategy.

She has spoken at high-profile conferences including Sibos and Collision, and published editorials in prominent outlets like the Harvard Business Review, Risk.net, and the Globe and Mail. Alex is passionate about the promotion of women in STEM and continues to participate in initiatives focused on encouraging young girls to pursue STEM careers and hobbies.

Joining the Halifax Partnership as President & CEO in June 2019, Wendy leads the organization toward achieving the Halifax Economic Growth Plan’s ambitious goals of growing our population to 550,000 and GDP to $30 billion by 2031. She is a champion for Halifax, bringing public-private sector leadership experience in representing Halifax and Nova Scotia nationally and internationally. Wendy is passionate about building deep, collaborative relationships with the business community, our investors, and other stakeholders to support what the Partnership does best – playing a leading role in positioning Halifax as a city of the future, where businesses and people thrive. What excites Wendy most about Halifax is that it is a magnet for young people and a catalyst for vibrant businesses.

Michael McNair is President and Chief Executive Officer of Arctic Economic Development Corporation, Canada’s dedicated Arctic infrastructure and logistics services provider.

Previously he was Global Managing Director at the Tony Blair Institute where he led the worldwide doubling of the company’s operational footprint to 125+ projects, primarily focused on delivery, across 45 developing and advanced countries.

He has worked as a strategy consultant; at McKinsey & Company, Deloitte and independently. His career began in corporate finance at CIBC World Markets. Michael worked well over a decade at the Canadian parliament and government, including many years as Policy Director for the Prime Minister of Canada.

He is currently an Affiliated Researcher and part-time lecturer at Cambridge University in Public Policy. His graduate studies were in Advanced Economic and Policy Analysis at Columbia University and Global Economic History at the London School of Economics, following undergraduate studies in History at Queen’s University in Canada.

Nabila is a financial executive with extensive expertise in finance, operations, and technology. As Chief Financial Officer at Cystic Fibrosis Canada, Nabila is responsible for shaping strategic decisions, driving organizational effectiveness, and spearheading transformative initiatives. Nabila excels in optimizing processes, delivering strategic insights and leading complex projects that align with and advance Cystic Fibrosis Canada’s objectives.

She progressively advanced through senior leadership positions in healthcare regulation and at the Hospital for Sick Children. In these roles, she successfully led transformative initiatives in finance and technology, resulting in enhanced operational efficiency and strategic modernization.

Nabila received her MBA from Wilfrid Laurier University and is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA).

Thomas Park is Chief Investment Officer of InBC Investment Corp., a $500-million strategic investment fund backed by the Province of British Columbia. He leads InBC’s investment strategy to back BC’s most promising founders and fund managers, building globally competitive companies and long-term value for the province.

Previously, Thomas spent eight years at BDC Capital, where he launched several national funds, including leading the BDC Deep Tech Fund. He also serves on the board of Venture for Canada and the investment committee of Boann Social Capital.

Earlier in his career, he held senior roles at McKinsey & Company and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, working across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East on health systems, innovation, and economic development. He has advised global leaders through platforms such as the G7 and World Bank, and served on boards including the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association, Venture for Canada, Boann Social Impact Fund, and the Banff Forum.

Fluent in English and French, Thomas brings cross-sector experience and a collaborative approach to strengthening Canada’s innovation ecosystem. His appointment to the board of Mitacs reflects his ongoing commitment to building bridges between research, talent, and the economy.

He holds degrees from McGill’s Faculty of Law, the Harvard Kennedy School, and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

Dr. B. Mario Pinto joined the University of Manitoba’s leadership team as Vice President (Research & International) in October, 2022 after having served as Griffith University’s Deputy Vice Chancellor Research (DVCR) and Director of the Gold Coast Health & Knowledge Precinct in Queensland, Australia (2020-2022). Prior to this he served as President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Chair of the Global Research Council, Co-chair of the Canada-India Joint Science and Technology Committee, and Vice President Research and Chair of Chemistry at Simon Fraser University, Canada.

Receiving his undergraduate degree and doctorate from Queen’s University in Ontario, Dr. Pinto has published more than 250 papers in chemical biology and holds a simple but firm view on research. “A recognition of scholarly impact is what counts and quality publication and innovation remain at the core,” he said. “Researchers must take some risks and strive for greater influence in their respective spheres of interest.”

Dr. Pinto holds a Fellowship in the Royal Society of Canada. He has established partnerships between several academic disciplines, and with many industry and commercial leaders, such as the Bombay Stock Exchange and Indian Oil Corporation. He has also shared best research practices with Sri Lanka’s National Science Foundation. Dr. Pinto has a breadth of experience in research commercialisation, as one of the founding members of the Centre for Drug Research and Development, Zone Start-Ups India, VentureLabs® and Venture Connection.
Dr. Pinto champions global connectivity to increase the power of the line of sight by embracing diverse perspectives, and is a champion of equity, diversity, and inclusion in research and innovation. He was Chair of the 11th Gender Summit which focused on the theme of pluralism to counter singularity of thought.

Since October 2022, Dr. Pinto has taken up the position of Vice President (Research & International). He is building on significant successes already achieved as DVCR at Griffith University, and Director of the Health & Knowledge Precinct on the Gold Coast, where he worked in partnership with the Gold Coast University Hospital, the Gold Coast Private Hospital, Gold Coast City Council, and the Queensland State Government to attract new developers and industries to the Precinct and create a portal between university/hospital researchers and commercialization partners.

Karen is an experienced corporate and commercial lawyer in financial services specializing in corporate governance, investments, fintech, insurance, intellectual property management and banking.  With experience as corporate secretary on over 45+ boards, an investment fund GP board director and a member of several board committees, she has a solid board governance background.

Karen is presently Director, Legal Affairs at Fairstone Financial Inc., an alternative lender and subsidiary of Fairstone Bank of Canada, where she is involved with the company’s four business lines: direct lending, retail point of sale financing; automobile financing and credit cards.  Prior to this, she was Nesto Inc.’s first General Counsel.  A member of its executive team, she supported the C-suite during the fintech’s rapid growth and creation of new business lines as a lender and a mortgage administrator.  At Standard Life Investments and later Manulife Investment Management, Karen provided legal advice for these respective insurance company investment subsidiaries.  Prior to going in house, Karen was a senior associate at Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt LLP where her practice focused on financings, M&A, licensing, IP, governance and securities mandates.

Before law, Karen worked in academia as a research scientist, and she holds a Ph.D. in Experimental Medicine from McGill University.  She completed two post-doctoral positions, the first at Harvard Medical School and its related institutions (Dana Farber Cancer institute, Center for Blood Research), where her research was to determine the molecular actions of the immune response in cancer.    The second was at the NIH National Institute of Aging, where she created a HIV blood-brain barrier model to elucidate how therapeutic drugs could pass through to treat a diseased brain.  She was a member of the Drug Design & Development Section working on a novel Alzheimer’s drug and a new neuro-therapeutic action of a diabetic drug. Karen published 16 scientific articles and holds nine U.S. patents.

Dr. Paul Smith is Executive Director of the Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC), the umbrella organization for the Canadian Society for Chemistry and the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering.

Most recently, Dr. Smith was Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (2021-2025). Before that, he spent a decade on Xerox’s Senior Leadership Team as Vice President and Director of the Xerox Global Materials Research Centre, and helped establish the Canadian Campus for Advanced Materials Manufacturing in partnership with the National Research Council of Canada.

He serves on the Board of Directors of Mitacs and the Executive Advisory Council of C2MCI, and is a named inventor on 78 U.S. patents. Dr. Smith holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Bath and an MBA from the Rotman School of Management, is an ICD.D candidate through the ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program, and was the 2024 recipient of CIC’s Montreal Medal and the 2023 recipient of the Canada Medal from the Society of the Chemical Industry.

The Honourable Lisa Raitt joined CIBC Capital Markets as a Vice Chair in January 2020, having previously worked in both the public and private sectors. Ms. Raitt’s current focus is on senior client coverage and business development with clients in the energy, infrastructure and industrial sectors, which align closely with her deep expertise.

Prior to her current role, Ms. Raitt was the President and CEO of the Toronto Port Authority. She was elected into the House of Commons in 2008, where she went on to hold three senior portfolios serving as Minister of Natural Resources, Minister of Labour, and Minister of Transport. Most recently, Ms. Raitt was the Deputy Leader of the Official Opposition and the Conservative Party of Canada.

Ms. Raitt holds a Bachelor of Science degree from St. Francis Xavier University and a Master of Science (Chemistry) from the University of Guelph. She possesses an LL.B from Osgoode Hall Law School, was called to the Ontario bar in 1998 and was a Harold G. Fox Scholar at the Inns of Court in London, England.

Currently, Ms. Raitt is a Director on the Boards of LFL Group, Investment Management Corporation of Ontario (IMCO), Baycrest Health Sciences and the Global Risk Institute. She also is the Chair of the Board of Governors of St. Francis Xavier University, Vice Chair of CARE Canada, and Co-Chair of Coalition for a Better Future.

In June 2024, Lisa was presented with an Honorary Doctorate in Business from the University of Ottawa.

Ridha Ben Mrad, P.Eng., is the Chief Research Officer and Scientific Director of Mitacs, Director of the Mechatronics and Microsystems Group, and a Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto. He joined the University of Toronto in 1997, having previously held positions at the National Research Council of Canada and the Ford Research Laboratory. He joined Mitacs in 2016 and is currently Chair of the Mitacs Research and Innovation Council. He is also President and Chief Technology Officer of Sheba Microsystems Inc., a Toronto-based manufacturer of cameras for the smartphone and automotive industries.

Ridha Ben Mrad’s research interests are micro-actuators and sensors, MEMS, microfabrication, and development of smart materials-based devices. He led a large number of collaborations with industrial partners from across Canada working on developing a number of new technologies. His research has led to 30+ US, Canadian, European, and Chinese patents and more than 250 refereed research publications. He has supervised the work of more than 22 PhD students, 45 master’s students, 23 researchers, three postdoctoral fellows, and 100+ senior undergraduate students.

 He has received the Faculty Early Career Teaching Award and the Connaught Innovation Award and sits on several committees, including the Steering Committee of the IEEE Journal on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems and the IEEE IES Publication Committee. He has also served as editor on various publications including the Journal of Mechatronics, and the IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics. He was the Founding Director of the Institute for Robotics and Mechatronics at the University of Toronto and was Associate Chair of Research of his department

Jean-François Bousquet joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Dalhousie University in July 2013. He is a graduate of Ecole Polytechnique de Montréal where he completed his B. Eng. in Electrical Engineering in 2001. He also completed his MSc and PhD degrees in Electrical Engineering at the University of Calgary in 2007 and 2011 respectively, where he focused on the implementation of low-power integrated circuits applied to wireless communication. Between 2009 and 2011, he was employed as a high-speed analog IC designer at Ciena for the development of coherent fibre optics communication networks. Since joining Dalhousie University, he has developed a research program on underwater communications and technology. He is particularly interested in enabling underwater networks, using low-power electronics systems. He is passionate about the use of highly integrated circuits to enable reconfigurable communication systems. Since 2019, he has acted as Head the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He is currently Associate Editor for the Canadian Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Ian D. Gates, P.Eng., Ph.D., FCAE, is a Professor in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Calgary. He worked for seven years in industry prior to joining the University in 2004. Prof. Gates received a B.Sc. from the University of Calgary, an M.A.Sc. from the University of British Columbia, and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, all in Chemical Engineering. Since 2016, he has been the Director of the University of Calgary’s Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) program, the $75 million Global Research Initiative (GRI) for Sustainable Low-carbon Unconventional Resources program, where he has provided leadership in energy research (>80 research projects funded, >200 faculty members involved from across the university, and >500 graduate students involved in GRI research projects).

Prof. Gates’ research spans heavy oil and oil sands technology, hydrogen (in situ gasification of heavy oil and methane pyrolysis), methane emissions, and material science of energy systems. Since he joined the university, he has supervised 37 Ph.D., 35 M.Sc., and 8 M.Eng. (thesis-based) graduate students and 29 undergraduate summer researchers, as well as 32 Research Engineers, Research Associates, and Post-Doctoral Scholars in his research group. His research has led to over 230 peer-reviewed journal papers published and 65 patents (33 awarded, 24 pending, and 8 abandoned) with several of them patented in more than 10 countries. He is a serial entrepreneur, having co-founded several companies including Gushor (sold to Schlumberger in 2013), Proton Technologies (hydrogen from heavy oil), Solideum (solid bitumen), Molten Alloy Technologies, TOSSA, and several consulting companies.

Since joining the University of Calgary, Prof. Gates has received awards including 12 teaching awards, a Killam Innovation in Teaching Award (2016), an ASTECH award (Innovation in Oil Sands Research, 2016), a Killam Annual Professor Award (2018), and an APEGA Frank Spragins Summit Award (2019).

Randy is the Director of the Engineering Access Program (ENGAP) at the University of Manitoba. ENGAP is a support program designed to assist First Nation, Metis, and Inuit students seeking an engineering degree. He graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geological Engineering. For 10 years he worked as a geotechnical engineer, technical services advisor, and a project manager before taking on his current role. Over the years Randy’s work with Canadian Indigenous communities and within the engineering field has shown him the lack of engineers of First Nation, Metis, and Inuit ancestry and the obstacles faced by these students to obtain a degree. His desire to help change these factors and make it easier for Indigenous students to pursue an engineering degree led him to become Director of ENGAP, a position he has held since 1998. He is a Fellow of Engineers Canada, and a member of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. He is also a member of Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba and the Manitoba Metis community.

Dr. Di Jiang is a team lead and senior researcher at the Medical Devices Research Centre of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). From 2020 to 2022, Dr. Jiang was appointed as the President’s Science Advisor and Secretary to the President’s Research Excellence Advisory Committee (PREAC) working with NRC’s senior executives and research communities to promote research excellence. Dr. Jiang joined the NRC’s Life Sciences Division in 2008. She currently leads research and development efforts in virtual care, including continuous remote patient monitoring using medical sensors and contactless assessment for physiological and cognitive health. During her career, Dr. Jiang has led multiple large-scale projects in close collaboration with academia, industry clinicians, such as real-time simulations for medical applications and remote interactive care augmented by AI/ML. She has worked as a consultant for numerous organizations. Dr. Jiang holds a Ph.D. and MSc in Computer Science from the Université de Montréal. She also has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics.

Dr Elicia Maine is Simon Fraser University’s Associate Vice President, Knowledge Mobilization & Innovation, W.J. VanDusen Professor of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and Director of the i2I Research & Innovation Institute. Her research interests are in science innovation, science entrepreneurship, and the translation of inventions from university research labs. She founded the award-winning Invention to Innovation (i2I) program to develop entrepreneurial mindset and innovation skills in PhD scientists and engineers across Canada, while simultaneously shaping science innovation. A decade later, this network spans across Canada, in partnership with NSERC, Mitacs, and over 70 academic and industry partners. She cares deeply about enabling the impact that university inventions can make towards solving large societal challenges, such as addressing climate change and treating or preventing disease.

As SFU’s Inaugural AVP of Knowledge Mobilization & Innovation, Dr Maine oversees and champions initiatives and units at SFU such as SFU Innovates, the Technology Licensing Office, SFU VentureLabs, the Knowledge Mobilization Hub, and the Community Engaged Research Initiative. She serves on several Boards and Advisory Councils, including Innovate BC, Mitacs Research & Innovation Council, the German-Canadian Materials Acceleration Program and the CCA Expert Panel on Science Technology and Innovation. An interdisciplinary scholar and engaged educator, she holds a PhD in Technology Management & Materials Engineering from the University of Cambridge, and Master’s degrees in Technology & Policy and in Materials Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Professor Maine has published her innovation management research in Research Policy, R&D Management, Journal of Cleaner Production, Technovation, Nature Nanotechnology and Nature Materials. She has been honoured with the 2022 Canadian Science Policy Centre (CSPC) Innovation Policy Trailblazer award and as BC’s 2021 Top Cleantech Educator, and contributed to SFU being ranked as Canada’s number one university for innovation, number one in the world for entrepreneurial spirit and number one in Canada for industrial applications in the World University Rankings for Innovation.

Claudiane Ouellet-Plamondon is a professor in the Department of Construction Engineering at the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) in Montreal, a member of the Université du Québec network, since 2014. She holds the Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Multifunctional Construction Materials. She received a bachelor’s degree in biological engineering from Dalhousie University, a master’s degree in biological sciences from Université de Montréal, and a Ph.D. in engineering from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. She was a postdoctoral fellow at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, and a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley during her sabbatical leave.

She is passionate about her research on functional materials, robotic 3D printing of low carbon mortars, bio-based materials, wood and earth construction, valorization of industrial by-products in cement, concrete and other value-added materials, sustainable materials for a circular economy, and modeling of materials with artificial intelligence. She enjoys interdisciplinary research on the sustainability of buildings and cities, materials and arts, adaptation and mitigation of climate change, and the ecological transition. Her team includes Master’s and Ph.D. students, research assistants, and postdoctoral fellows.

Claudiane chairs the report on 3D Printing with Cementitious Materials of the Committee 564 of the American Concrete Institute (ACI). She is a member of the International Energy Agency EBC Annex 89 Ways to Implement Net-Zero Whole Life Buildings. She is a member of technical committees of the RILEM and a member of other associations.

Professor Christopher Yip began his term as Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering on July 2, 2019, after serving two years as Associate Vice-President, International Partnerships in the University’s Office of the Vice President, International.
Dean Yip is a leading scholar in the field of single-molecule biophysics and a faculty member with the Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry, the Department of Biochemistry and the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering. He is a Principal Investigator with the Donnelly Centre for Cellular & Biomolecular Research at the University of Toronto.

As a former director of the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering (IBBME), he provided leadership to more than 100 research engineers and scientists engaged in discovery and product development in the areas of neuroscience and sensory stimulation, biomaterials and tissue engineering, molecular systems biology and nanotechnology, as well as medical device and drug delivery system design.

He has been a strong advocate and creator of international research opportunities for students and scholars. Through the Wildcat Voyager Scholarships, IBBME encourages its PhD students by providing funds for international research partnerships. Professor Yip and IBBME have also played important roles in the development and implementation of the Lyon Sachs Collaborative Research Fund. This fund rapidly scales up research collaborations by enabling joint symposia and workshops, funding student and faculty travel between Haifa and Toronto, and enabling sabbatical visits and short-term graduate student exchanges. The fund has sparked cutting-edge research and enabled two-way flow of immense talent between the Technion Institute of Technology and the University of Toronto.

Dean Yip serves on the CIHR Institute of Genetics Advisory Board and has served on grant panels at NSERC, CIHR and NIH. He was the first recipient of the Molecular Imaging’s Outstanding Young Biological Scanning Probe Microscopy Investigator of the Year award, and since that time has been honoured with a Premier’s Research Excellence Award (1999), Faculty Teaching Award, (2000) and Graduate Faculty Teaching Award for Sustained Contribution to Excellence in Graduate Teaching (2008). He was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2009), a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada (2014) and held a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Molecular Imaging (2000-2010).

Dean Yip received his B.A.Sc. in Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry from the University of Toronto in 1988 and his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota in 1996. He joined the Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry in 1997 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2002 and to Full Professor in 2007.

Dr. Hanan Lutfiyya is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Western Ontario. She has served as Chair of the Department of Computer Science. She developed a Vector Institute approved collaborative AI program offered jointly with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. She served as a co-director. She received the UWO Faculty Scholar Award in 2006. Her research interests include Internet of Things, software engineering, self-adaptive and self-managing systems, autonomic computing, monitoring and diagnostics, mobile systems, policies, and clouds. Her research group in collaboration with industrial and government partners investigates different aspects of reliable software and systems. She has developed innovative approaches to self-managing systems based on policy-based approaches. She is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Transactions Network and Systems Management. She has received funding from Ontario Research Fund (ORF), NSERC, IBM, Samsung, Fujitsu and Canada’s Communications Research Centre (CRC). She recently was on the steering committee for the Ontario Celebration of Women in Computing Conference and hosted the conference in London. She has served on program committees of numerous conferences and workshops, on the editorial board of invited journal issues and books, and as session chair at many conferences.

Professor Lutfiyya is a past member of the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery Grant Committee, NSERC Strategic Network Committee, and a past member and Chair of an NSERC Strategic Grants Committee. She was a member of the Computer Science Accreditation Council (CSAC). She is a past Executive Director, Ontario Consortium for Graduate Education in Software Engineering (CONGESE) program and is currently co-director of a Vector Institute approved collaborative AI program offered jointly with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. She was a member of the Computer Science Accreditation Council (CSAC). She is a past Executive Director, Ontario Consortium for Graduate Education in Software Engineering (CONGESE) program.

Prof. Vikramaditya Yadav is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering and School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of British Columbia (UBC). He is also the Founding Director of the Master of Engineering Leadership (MEL) program in Sustainable Process Engineering.

He leads one of Canada’s most distinguished research programs in synthetic biology and biotechnology. He has made significant contributions to environmental engineering, clean manufacturing, and advancement of the circular economy. He is also considered a global thought leader of metabolic control engineering, a discipline that can drastically improve productivity and reduce the environmental footprint of biomanufacturing processes. The novelty and impact of his research have earned him numerous accolades, including the 2024 Killam Accelerator Research Prize for research and innovation at UBC, the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering’s Emerging Leader Award, and recognition as one of Medicine Maker Magazine’s 50 Most Influential People in Drug Development and Manufacturing.

Prof. Yadav’s work prioritizes technology translation, emphasizing practical applications through patent development, strategic industry partnerships, and commercialization of innovative technologies. His approach bridges the gap between laboratory discoveries and real-world solutions. He is a thought leader in scaling up climate and deep technologies and a serial entrepreneur. He founded Metabolik Technologies, which developed breakthrough technology for oil sands water remediation and was acquired by Allonnia in 2020. He later founded and led Tersa Earth Innovations, creating an award-winning process for metal extraction from mining water. Currently, he serves as the Chief Science Officer of Tydra Labs, a biomaterials company working to decarbonize the cosmetics and textile industries, and he is the Lead Climate Technologist at MAKS Global Repairs, where he oversees sustainable infrastructure projects across North America and Asia while advising investments in innovative clean technology companies.

Prof. Yadav has received Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 and Business in Vancouver’s Top 40 Leaders Under 40 honors. He is also a celebrated educator, winning the Killam Teaching Prize at UBC in 2023 and Foresight Canada’s Climate Tech Educator of the Year award in 2024. His contributions to modernizing the instruction of chemical engineering, notably integrating computation and machine learning into the curriculum, were recognized with the Computer Aids in Chemical Engineering (CACHE) award in 2019.

Beyond academia, Prof. Yadav plays an active role in shaping global regulation and standardization of synthetic biology. He was Canada’s sole representative at the Engineering Biology Research Consortium’s expert working group that authored the metrics and technical standards for the global bioeconomy in 2023. He currently serves as an Associate Editor of Frontiers of Synthetic Biology and is a member of the editorial board of Catalysis in Green Chemistry & Engineering. He previously chaired the Biotechnology Division of the Chemical Institute of Canada (2017-2024). He was also the Associate Editor of the Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering (2020-2023) and the Associate Scientific Advisor for Science Translational Medicine (2019-2020).

Jean-Philippe Sylvestre is the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) and a founding member of Optina Diagnostics, where he directs the global scientific roadmap. With over 20 years of experience in biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences — including more than a decade in senior executive leadership — he has distinguished himself by his ability to bridge disparate scientific disciplines, applying principles of physics and engineering to translate advanced concepts into validated clinical applications.

Throughout his career, Dr. Sylvestre has spearheaded the development of complex medical devices from initial concept through to FDA 510(k) clearance. Notably, he pioneered the world’s first successful proof-of-concept validation using hyperspectral retinal imaging as a non-invasive surrogate for detecting cerebral amyloid status related to Alzheimer’s disease, a platform which received the FDA Breakthrough Device designation. Before co-founding Optina, he was a researcher at Photon etc., where he led the technical evolution of early imaging prototypes for biomedical applications.

Dr. Sylvestre possesses extensive expertise in securing capital, having raised several million dollars in research grants. He also manages an international intellectual property portfolio covering hardware, software, and biomarkers. His work has led to more than 25 scientific publications and several patents, spanning fields from (nano)materials synthesis and characterization to AI-driven diagnostic platforms.

A member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, he holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Engineering Physics from École Polytechnique de Montréal, as well as a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Technology from the University of Bath in the United Kingdom. He also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at École Polytechnique in collaboration with the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Université de Montréal.

Sophie Rochette is a physicist specializing in emerging hardware for artificial intelligence and quantum computing. She completed her studies in Physics at Université de Sherbrooke, one of Canada’s foremost institutions for quantum science. Her doctoral research focused on the development of scalable silicon quantum dot architectures compatible with modern integrated circuit fabrication technologies, addressing one of the central challenges on the path to fault-tolerant quantum computing: integrating qubit fabrication within established semiconductor infrastructure for scalability. As a graduate student, she contributed to the Canadian Landscape in Solid-State Quantum Computer Architectures report, commissioned by the Communications Security Establishment and the National Research Council of Canada. During the same period, she organized the 7th Women in Physics Canada Conference at Université de Sherbrooke, co-created the Diversity in Physics committee at UdS, and went on to serve on the Women in Physics Canada Steering Committee.

Following her doctorate, she joined Institut Quantique at UdS as coordinator of the QSciTech NSERC CREATE program — a nationally funded initiative spanning seven partner universities designed to train the next generation of quantum scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs. She also contributed to the development of the Quantum Computing Research Roadmap for Canadian Defence Challenges, aiming at strategic alignment of quantum research priorities with national security needs.

In 2022, she joined 1QBit, a leading Canadian quantum computing company with a research hub in Sherbrooke, where she managed research projects and fostered collaborations with academic partners at the frontier of quantum hardware and artificial intelligence. In 2024, she joined Irréversible, a company that grew out of 1QBit, founded by scientists and engineers at the intersection of quantum computing, machine learning, and nanofabrication. As Lead Special Projects, she provides scientific coordination across research projects and interdisciplinary teams working to develop ultra-low-power analog processors for AI inference in order to dramatically reduce the energy footprint of AI systems, one of the defining constraints on sustainable intelligence at scale.