Our team

Professor and Chair, Department of Economics, Justice, and Policy Studies
Mount Royal University (Calgary, Alberta)

Duane Bratt is a political science Professor and Chair in the Department of Economics, Justice, and Policy Studies at Mount Royal University (Calgary, Alberta). He was educated at the Universities of Windsor (BA 1991, MA 1992) and Alberta (Ph.D 1996). He teaches in the area of international relations and Canadian public policy. His primary research interest is in the area of Canadian nuclear policy. Recent publications include: co-editor, Orange Chinook: Politics in the New Alberta (University of Calgary Press, 2019), co-editor, Readings in Canadian Foreign Policy: Classic Debates and New Ideas 3rd edition (Oxford University Press, 2015) and author of Canada, the Provinces, and the Global Nuclear Revival (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2012). Current projects include the risk assessment of Canada’s nuclear waste site selection process. Duane is also a regular commentator on political events.

Former Permanent Member
National Energy Board

Rowland Harrison has more than 45 years’ experience in Canadian energy regulatory matters, as a senior government official, a lawyer and consultant in private practice, and as an academic. From 1997 until 2011, he served two successive terms as a permanent member of the National Energy Board (NEB, predecessor to the Canada Energy Regulator) in Calgary, making him one of the longest-serving members in the Board’s history. Since his retirement from the NEB in 2011, Mr. Harrison has been engaged as a consultant to industry, government and NGOs on a variety of energy regulation matters. From 2012 to 2015, he was TransCanada Chair in Administrative and Regulatory Law at the University of Alberta. He is co-Managing Editor of Energy Regulation Quarterly. In 2013, he was a recipient of an Energy Law Forum Energy Bear Award for his contributions to Canadian energy regulation. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel by the government of Alberta in 2006.

Associate Professor, Department of Political Science
Université de Montréal

Erick Lachapelle joined the faculty at the Université de Montréal in August 2011 after receiving his doctorate from the University of Toronto. Erick is the Principal Investigator for the Canadian Surveys on Energy and the Environment and EcoAnalytics. He has served as expert reviewer for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 5^th Assessment Report (Working Group III) as well as for the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility in Australia. Erick’s research examines the comparative politics of climate change, environmental public opinion, and political communication around climate policy and the transition toward a clean economy. Erick’s recent research has appeared in Global Environmental Politics, Climate Policy, Energy Policy, and the Oxford Encyclopedia of Climate Science, among others.

Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science
University of New Brunswick

Heather Millar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton. Her research interests include Canadian provincial energy and climate politics; risk perception, policy learning and policy change; and social acceptance of new technologies. She has published research articles in Policy Sciences, Public Policy and Administration, the Canadian Journal of Political Science, and Canadian Public Administration.

She previously held a SSHRC postdoctoral fellowship with ISSP (2010-2020) and postdoctoral fellowship with the Environmental Governance Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy (2018-2019). She has a doctorate in Political Science from the University of Toronto (2019) and a Masters in Public Policy from Simon Fraser University (2010). Previously she held leadership positions in the Canadian non-profit sector and has experience in a variety of policy areas including housing, poverty reduction, food security, and international development.

Executive Director
Mannkal Economic Education Foundation

Andrew Pickford works in the areas of strategy, policy and corporate advisory across international markets. He provides strategic advice and insight to company directors, government ministers and senior executives. Andrew has experience in risk management, strategic planning and forecasting in the natural gas, electricity and resource sector. From traversing grand strategy to long-term economic trends, he has worked with distinguished strategists and experienced company directors around the world. This background and experience has allowed Andrew to produce insights and advice which are easily understood and actioned by directors, government ministers and executives, while at the same time maintaining a deep and unique approach to complex analysis. He is currently completing a PhD at the University of Western Australia.

Associate Professor and Director, Pacific Marine Energy Center
Oregon State University

Dr. Robertson is the Director of the Pacific Marine Energy Center and an Associate Professor of Civil Engineering. As PMEC Director, he guides the Center to provide an objective voice regarding the opportunities, capabilities, and effects of marine energy. His research focuses on the future of our North American electricity and energy systems; the nexus of technology, policy, economics and society on the decarbonization of electrical systems; and the public trust requirements to transition power system. In complimentary research, Dr. Robertson also develops detailed wave, tidal and offshore wind energy resource assessments, optimizes energy harvesting technologies, and numerical integrates marine power into the electrical grid; at a variety of scale and opportunities.

Chair and Chief Executive Officer
Nanos Research

Nik Nanos leads one of Canada’s most distinguished research companies and is also a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC, a Research Associate Professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo, and a Senior Fellow at the University of Ottawa. He has also been elected a Fellow of the MRIA (FMRIA), the highest professional designation in the marketing research industry in Canada. In addition to his weekly Nanos Power Index, which charts the strength of the federal political parties, Mr. Nanos leads the team behind the weekly Bloomberg Nanos Canadian Confidence Index, considered a must-have resource for senior executives.

He is also featured in a weekly segment on CTV’s PowerPlay, Nanos on the Numbers, which focuses on the latest political, business and social trends. He currently serves on the editorial board for the Canadian Journalof Professional Communication at McMaster University. In addition to his experience in research and communications, he is a former president of a leading national government relations firm. The unique combination of advanced research skills, communication expertise, and his knowledge in advancing client interests make Mr. Nanos one of Canada’s leading strategists. He is the pollster for CTV News, The Globe and Mail and Bloomberg News in Canada.

Postdoctoral Fellow
School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Ottawa

Dr. Meghan Beattie is a postdoctoral fellow with the SUNLAB Solar Research Group in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Ottawa.

She holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Ottawa (2021) and a B.Sc. in Physics from Queen’s University (2015). Meghan joined the SUNLAB as a graduate student in 2015, where she studied semiconductor materials and devices for high-efficiency photovoltaic energy generation.

She began working with the ISSP’s Positive Energy program as a postdoctoral fellow in 2021, while continuing to work with the SUNLAB. She has a keen interest in the energy policy landscape in Canada and in bridging the gap between policymakers and the science & engineering community.

Doctoral Candidate
School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria

James Donald holds an MA in Economics and Philosophy from the University of Aberdeen and an MSc in Environmental Technology from Imperial College, London. Upon finishing his MSc he worked in the renewable energy industry in the UK for many years, initially for Shell and then for Iberdrola. During this time he became interested in the socio-economic barriers to transitioning energy systems away from fossil fuels and he is currently researching how social responses influence the acceptability of different energy de-carbonisation pathways. He is currently working on his dissertation in collaboration with the Positive Energy project and the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions.

Doctoral candidate
School of Political Studies, University of Ottawa

Julien is a doctoral candidate in public administration and public policy at the University of Ottawa’s School of Political Studies. His doctoral research focuses on large scale energy transitions in the United Arab Emirates. He holds an MSc in Energy Policy and an MA in Geopolitics and Grand Strategy from the University of Sussex, and a BA in Political Studies from the American University of Beirut.

Head, Planning and Resource Management

An experienced public policy and public management professional, Katherine brings to the ISSP an extensive background in the design and management of university-based institutes with mandates in public policy and science research. Her previous work includes the development of networks among public sector organizations, university scholars and community groups, and strategies to enhance knowledge mobilization. Katherine is a graduate of Trinity College, University of Toronto (B.A. History) and Carleton University (M.A. Public Administration).

Program Coordinator
Positive Energy

Executive-in-Residence
Positive Energy

A Professional Engineer with over 45 years of experience as an executive and entrepreneur in the private and public sectors. David combines a strong business, engineering and accounting background, experience in utility regulation, and thorough knowledge of energy policy. As Commissioner and later Chair and CEO of the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) for over ten years, he developed expert-level understanding of the intersection of traditional and renewable energy infrastructure, and public policy.

At the BCUC, David participated in numerous decisions on a wide variety of utility applications. In addition, he initiated, and often participated in, a number of Inquiries into key areas of energy policy.
Since departing from BCUC in 2023, David remains actively engaged in national and international energy and regulatory associations. 

David is a featured speaker, author, and consulting expert to regulators, governments and utilities around the world. He has presented to agencies in 20 countries in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Stephen Blank’s (BA, Dartmouth; MA, Cambridge; MA, PhD, Harvard) career has spanned the academic (University of Pittsburgh, Pace University, many visiting professorships), business (founding partner MultiNational Strategies Inc.) and not-for-profit (Ford Foundation, Conference Board) communities. Known for his work on North American integration, he serves as Senior Fellow and Special Advisor, Collaboratory on Energy Research and Policy, University of Ottawa.

Blank was a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow and a scholar in residence at the Villa Serbeloni in Italy, Claude Bissell Professor of US-Canada Relations at the University of Toronto, Fulbright Distinguished Professor at l'Université de Montréal, Ross Distinguished Visiting Professor at Western Washington University and Fulbright Chair of Governance and Public Administration at the University of Ottawa. He was Managing Director of the PanAm Partnership for Business Education and Co-Chair of the North American Transportation Competitiveness Research Council. Blank is the author or co-author of many books and articles. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, he was awarded L’Ordre National du Quebec by the Government of Quebec.

Undergraduate Student
School of Political Studies, University of Ottawa

Alysha Aziz is in her 4th year in the Bachelor of Social Science program at the University of Ottawa specializing in sociology and political science. Alysha comes to the ISSP with 2 years of experience working with the Government of Canada as a Junior Policy Analyst at Innovation Science and Economic Development Canada. She worked in international competition law and international cooperation for the Competition Bureau of Canada. After, she worked with Employment and Social Development Canada working on Deliverology policy. Alysha is looking to continue to pursue her academic career within the social sciences.

Communications and Outreach Specialist
Institute for Science, Society and Policy

Rafael is a communications professional, specialized in international communications and stakeholder management within the academic and scientific fields, to promote positive change and handle complex global information issues.

He has extensive experience in digital marketing, content creation and brand amplification, through graphic design, web content design, social media outreach, e-newsletters, video editing and podcast broadcasting/publishing.

Rafael holds a M.A. in International Affairs, with a specialization in International Economic Policy, from The Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA) at Carleton University and an LL. B. (Bachelor of Laws) from the Federal University of Parana.

Dr. Stewart Fast brought significant energy and environment research expertise and a strong interdisciplinary background to the Positive Energy project. His past experience includes a postdoctoral fellowship at Queen’s University’s Institute for Energy and Environmental Policy, Visiting Researcher at Lund University’s International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics, and Manager of Certification Standards for Canada’s national environmental labelling program. Stewart's PhD research (Geography, University of Ottawa) examined social responses to new renewable energy technologies, and he has over a dozen publications in this topic area. Stewart also holds a BSc in Plant Science (McGill) and his M.A. (Carleton) employed spatially explicit life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate biofuels. Stewart formerly sat on the Board of the Ottawa Renewable Energy Co-operative, a highly successful local energy generating co-op, and also serves as an expert examiner of applications to Ontario Centres of Excellence for funding to support commercialization of innovative technologies and services.

Senior Research Associate
Institute for Science, Society and Policy

Brendan Frank is a Senior Research Associate with the ISSP, currently serving as Interim Research Director. He hosts the ISSP's new podcast, Disruption Discovered.

Mr. Frank comes to the ISSP after three years as a Research Associate at Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission. His training is in science (Bachelor’s in Environmental Science, Queen’s University) and public policy (Master’s in Public Policy, University of Calgary), and he possesses strong research and knowledge mobilisation experience in the public, private and civic sectors. Brendan has worked previously with Natural Resources Canada and in Alberta's oil and gas sector, and is currently an Associate with Youth Climate Lab.

Josh has obtained his degree in Political Science and Public Administration at the University of Ottawa. He is originally from Steinbach, Manitoba, and has been interested in energy policy for quite some time. Being of Ojibway and El Salvadoran descent he is greatly interested in energy policies’ benefits and consequences for indigenous peoples of Canada. His interest in Aboriginal policy has led him to past employment at Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada and involvement in his home community of Roseau River Anishinabe First Nations custom council. He is currently working at the Frontier Centre for Public Policy with Tom Flanagan, the Chair of Aboriginal Futures. His interests outside of the policy world are fishing, hunting, hockey, golfing, skiing, and US Civil War history. 

Sébastien is a doctorate student in public administration at Ottawa's School of Public Policy. His dissertation will focus on risk perception of First Nations people pertaining to energy megaprojects in the oil and gas sector in British Columbia and Alberta. Sébastien hold a master degree in public administration from the National School of Public Administration in Montreal and a law degree from the Université de Montréal. In his master thesis, he worked on the integration of Indigenous people in the Canadian Armed Forces. Specifically, he was interested in the perceptions of the military toward Indigenous people in order to evaluate if these perceptions were impeding or facilitating their integration in the army.

Lilia Karnizova is an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Ottawa. Her main area of expertise is quantitative business cycle analysis. Her research aims at understanding macroeconomic effects of expected and unexpected changes in energy prices, aggregate and sectoral productivity, monetary policy and consumer confidence. She has published book chapters and articles in academic journals, including the Journal of Monetary Economics, the B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, Empirical Economics and Economics Letters.

Her recent research assesses impacts of environmental regulation and policy uncertainty on decisions of consumers and firms. Within the Positive Energy project, she relies on macroeconomic analysis to capture aggregate costs of policy uncertainty about environmental policy in Canada. 

She completed her Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia (Canada, 2005) and an M.A. in Economics at the Central European University (Hungary, 1998). She graduated with a distinction in Applied Mathematics from Yaroslavl State University (Russia, 1995).

Lawrence Keyte is a northern alternative energy researcher, specializing in understanding Arctic energy issues, needs, and resources from the community perspective, and the link between community involvement and successful implementation of sustainable energy projects and policy.  Lawrence recently completed research contracts with Polar Knowledge Canada and with the Carleton Sustainable Energy Research Centre, where he co-authored an interdisciplinary report titled “Report on the State of Alternative Energy Provision in the Arctic,” which explores and identifies renewable energy and policy development opportunities for Canada’s northern communities.  He also recently completed an M.A. in Sustainability Studies at Trent University in Peterborough, Canada, where his thesis research focused on energy resilience, specifically success factors for northern Indigenous communities moving from fossil fuel dependence into more local, autonomous, clean and resilient energy futures.  Lawrence is fascinated by the interplay between alternative energy and the unique and multi-faceted social issues at play in Arctic communities.  Inspired by two decades of working in the North, he believes in clean and sustainable energy projects which are embraced by residents, enhance local capacity and health, keep energy dollars local, and bring long-term social, economic and environmental benefit to northern and Indigenous communities.

Kyae Lim is a graduate student at the Department of Economics at the University of Ottawa. Before coming to Ottawa, she worked as a Research Fellow at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada in Vancouver tracking and analyzing energy and environmental policy development in East and Southeast Asia. The majority of this work involved assessing implications for Canada in terms of market opportunities for Canadian LNG, nuclear energy technology and services and renewable/clean energy technology. She holds an M.Phil in Environmental Policy from the University of Cambridge. Her research interests include carbon pricing and climate policies and their impact on the energy sector, macroeconomic effects of energy prices and sustainable energy development. 

Dan McFadyen is Executive Fellow at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy. He is a professional engineer with over three decades of experience in the public service and the energy sector. Dan served as Chairman and CEO of Alberta’s Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) from February 2008 until December 2012, where he was responsible for directing the ERCB’s regulatory mandate governing energy resource development in the province.

Before joining the ERCB, he was Deputy Minister of Alberta Energy and held other senior positions in the energy sector and with government, including Vice President, Regulatory Affairs and Public Policy with the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association, Deputy Minister of Energy in Nova Scotia, and senior leadership positions with the Saskatchewan public service, including the Saskatchewan Research Council, Department of Industry and Resources, and Department of Energy and Mines. Mr. McFadyen has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Manitoba and is a member of the Association of Engineers, Geologists, and Geophysicists of Alberta.

Laura Nourallah is a doctoral candidate in public administration (specialization public policy) at the University of Ottawa’s School of Political Studies. Her dissertation focuses on comparing the policy, regulation and politics of hydraulic fracturing in Canada and the United States, with a particular focus on social acceptance and citizen participation in policy and regulatory development. She holds an M.A. in Public Administration (University of Ottawa), a Graduate Certificate in Public Management and Governance (University of Ottawa) and an honours baccalaureat in Political Science (University of Toronto). Laura is co-organizer of the Graduate Student Network of the Collaboratory on Energy Research and Policy.

Katherine Pietroniro is a graduate student in the Masters of Public Administration program at the University of Ottawa. She holds a B.A in History (University of King’s College), and is currently researching the impact of federal partisan politics on Canadian science policy by looking at National Research Council of Canada (NRC) funding over time. Katherine has previously worked for the federal government at Parks Canada, and at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), where she was involved with the Portfolio Management Division, which assists the Minister’s Office in managing NRCan’s portfolio agencies, including the National Energy Board (NEB) and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC).

Aimee Richard completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Social Sciences in Public Administration and Women's Studies. Her research interests include the impacts of public policy on marginalized communities, as well as cultural policy and public history. Aimee has previously worked for the federal government in several capacities, including at Veterans Affairs Canada; Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and on Parliament Hill. Aimee's interest in the Positive Energy project stems from her personal experiences growing up in Calgary, where energy policy is often at the forefront of public discourse and there is need to have productive conversations about Canada's energy future. 

Audrey is currently a 4th year student at the University of Ottawa specializing in political science with a minor in environmental studies. She has experience working in the Parliamentary Affairs unit at Infrastructure Canada as well as has worked in academic advising at the University of Ottawa. Audrey is involved in the Model United Nations Association at the university and has volunteered at events led by organizations such as the Ambassador Speaker Series. Audrey is looking to continue pursuing her academic career in the field of political and environmental studies.

Louis Simard holds a PhD in sociology from the Institut d’études politiques in Paris (2003) as well as a Master’s degree in political science from the University of Quebec in Montreal. His research work focuses on public participation in the environmental and energy sectors: specifically, he examines the effects of public participatory instruments on regulation process,  public policy implementation and organizational learning. He is currently working on the evolution of regulation and public participation tools in three Canadian provinces and also on public participation professionals.

Research Associate
Positive Energy

Ian T. D. Thomson is a 2018 Masters of Public Policy graduate from the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. Originally from Winnipeg, he holds a Bachelor of Science Honours in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Manitoba. Ian has a keen interest in the Canadian and international energy landscape. He has researched and published on national oil and gas pipeline polices and regulations; urban energy and environmental initiatives; and international nuclear used fuel policies. Additionally, he has acted as chairperson or executive director for several media non-profit organizations as well as worked as an Analyst for the Ontario Ministry of Energy. Ian is currently interested in energy governance and industry regulation.

Adjunct Professor of Energy Law, Faculty of Law
University of Toronto

George Vegh is the head of McCarthy Tétrault’s Toronto energy regulation practice, where he provides advocacy and advisory services to private and public sector clients. George’s main focus is on regulatory and wholesale market governance in the energy sector. Prior to joining McCarthy Tétrault, George was General Counsel of the Ontario Energy Board. George is a leader in the energy sector, having served as Chair of the Ontario Energy Association and the IESO Market Forum. He currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Board of the Association of Power Producers of Ontario.  He also led a number of industry initiatives, including Task Forces on Distribution Rate Regulation, Infrastructure Renewal, Distributed Generation, and Transmission Connection for Renewable Generation. George is an Adjunct Professor of Energy Law at the University of Toronto Law School, the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, the University of Calgary Law School and at Osgoode Hall Law School, where he is also the Program Director for the Masters’ Program in Energy and Infrastructure Law.

Sherry Wasilow has a strong and varied background in writing, communications, journalism, policy development, analysis, and research. Her past experience includes serving as Associate Editor for the Canadian Journal of Communication, science writing for an American addiction journal, media analysis for the federal government, legislative analysis and policy planning for the state of Texas, public information projects in both Canada and the U.S., and teaching English in Guatemala. Sherry's Ph.D. research (Communication, Carleton University) was on military/media relations, with a focus on embedded reporting in Afghanistan, through the School of Journalism and Communication, where she received both a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Fellowship and a Robert McKeown Doctoral Scholarship in Communication. She also has an M.A. (journalism) from The University of Texas at Austin, a Graduate Diploma (journalism) from Concordia University, and a B.A. (political science) from the University of Calgary.

Caroline Woodward is an undergraduate student in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Ottawa, where she studies Political Science with a minor in English Literature. Her research interests include civic engagement, ecological politics, food politics, and community systems. Caroline studied on exchange at Arizona State University in the Fall 2015 semester through the Fulbright Killam Fellowship. During this experience, she strengthened her knowledge of both American politics and culture. Caroline works as a research intern with the Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative, a philanthropic organization that seeks to improve educational outcomes for First Nations, Inuit, and Metis students across Canada.