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UID:33462-1783342800-1783348200@sciencepolicy.ca
SUMMARY:Clean Power\, Smart Sovereignty:  Driving Canada's competitive AI and quantum future
DESCRIPTION:Register HereCanada stands at a pivotal moment: how can we lead in AI while powering this infrastructure sustainably? This panel explores the strategies for building sovereign\, next generation compute systems that harness Canada’s clean energy advantage. Leaders on this panel will examine how competitiveness can be unlocked at the nexus of sovereignty\, sustainability\, and security\, ensure that AI technologies scale without compromising Canada’s leadership. Join us to discover how Canada is turning its renewable power into a foundation of tech strength\, resilient digital sovereignty\, and a sustainable future. \nSpeaker information coming soon!Joy JohnsonPresident and Vice-chancellor\, Simon Fraser University See Bio×Joy Johnson\nJoy Johnson is president and vice-chancellor of Simon Fraser University\, and professor in its Faculty of Health Sciences.  \nAs president\, Joy is committed to carrying out SFU’s vision to be a leading research university\, advancing an inclusive and sustainable future. \nPrior to her appointment as president\, Joy served as SFU’s vice-president\, research and international\, and oversaw the evolution of cutting-edge research\, innovation\, and international engagement across eight faculties.  \nUnder her leadership\, SFU’s achieved the fastest growth of any Canadian university research income of any university in Canada\, with a focus on mobilizing knowledge to enhance the social\, economic and environmental wellbeing of its communities.  \nPrior to SFU\, Joy had a distinguished career in academics and research. She is an elected Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences\, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada\, and has co-authored more than 180 peer-reviewed articles. \nProfessor Johnson is a director and current vice-chair on the Universities Canada board. \n \nPhil HarrisPresident and CEO\, CerioSee Bio×Phil Harris\nPhil has been in the networking and data center industry for over 35 years at market-leading companies including Intel and Cisco. Prior to joining Rockport\, he led the strategy\, roadmap\, and lifecycle for Intel’s differentiated systems-based solutions. He drove the market and industry adoption of Rack Scale Design as the leading platform for Hyperscale applications\, as well as service development and deployment.  \nPhil also served as a Vice President and Senior Vice President for Riverbed Technologies\, BMC Software\, and Cisco Systems. He led groups within those companies in a variety of projects featuring cloud services\, automation\, and innovative service provider models. Phil holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Willesden College of Technology in the UK. \nCraig TavaresPresident & COO\, BUZZ High Performance ComputingSee Bio×Craig Tavares\nCraig Tavares is a seasoned leader with over 20 years in digital infrastructure and energy. As President of BUZZ HPC\, he drives the company’s Sovereign AI Cloud and high-performance data center strategy\, expanding Canada’s GPU capacity for demanding AI workloads. \nHe has held senior leadership roles at Cogeco\, Aptum (DigitalBridge)\, and Apple\, where he built and scaled global cloud\, data center\, and hybrid infrastructure businesses. Earlier\, he co-founded Kingston Co-gen\, leading M&A and development of 300MW of power generation while pioneering one of North America’s first HPC-enabled power-plant data centers. \nRecognized as an innovator and growth driver across telecom\, cloud\, energy\, and AI\, Tavares combines technical depth with strategic vision. At BUZZ HPC\, his leadership is instrumental in positioning the company as Canada’s leading sovereign AI cloud provider. \nSeychelle CushingExecutive Director\, Partnerships Hub\, Simon Fraser UniversitySee Bio×Seychelle Cushing\nSeychelle Cushing champions innovation through partnerships with industry and government\, driving economic growth and positioning Canada as a leader in AI\, quantum\, and advanced technologies. As founder of the Big Data Hub\, she empowered organizations to leverage AI and data-driven solutions to scale.  \nDr. Nancy RossVice-Principal Research\, Queens UniversitySee Bio×Dr Nancy Ross \nDr. Nancy Ross is Vice-Principal Research at Queen’s University\, where she leads the institution’s research strategy\, operations\, and governance across key centres and institutes. Since 2021\, she has advanced Queen’s research mission\, including launching the Strategic Research Plan 2025–2030 and strengthening the university’s national research profile. She also contributes nationally through leadership roles with the U15 and the Council of Ontario Universities research committees. \nDr. Ross holds a BA and MA in Geography from Queen’s University and a PhD in Geography from McMaster University. Dr. Ross is a leading researcher in population health and health geography.  Her research excellence has been recognized through major awards\, including a Tier I Canada Research Chair in the Geo-Social Determinants of Health\, and in 2023\, she received the Melinda Meade Distinguished Scholarship Award for outstanding contributions to health and medical geography. \nDiego MandelbaumChief Development Officer\, Corix See Bio×Diego Mandelbaum\nAs Chief Development Officer\, Diego leads the company’s efforts to drive organic growth and develop new district energy systems across North America. Prior to joining Corix\, Diego held various leadership roles in the energy\, engineering and construction industries\, overseeing strategic direction\, partnerships\, and development.  \nHe brings over 15 years of experience in the energy sector\, with deep expertise in district energy\, electrification\, and alternative investments. An active contributor to both industry and community\, Diego serves on the Board of the UBC Alumni Association and previously served on the Board of the BC Construction Roundtable. In 2021\, he was recognized as one of Canadian Construction’s 40 Under 40.  \nDiego holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of British Columbia\, a Certificate in Alternative Investments from Harvard Business School\, and is a registered Professional Engineer. \nJaethan ReichelChief Operations Officer\, Bel Fabric  See Bio×Jaethan Reichel\nJaethan Reichel is COO of Bell AI Fabric\, where he helps lead the development of Canada’s sovereign AI infrastructure. \nHe’s spent his career at the intersection of technology and critical systems: energy grids\, communications networks\, and disaster response. He has founded three companies\, worked with governments on accelerators and policy\, and advised companies and funds on challenges in climate\, democracy\, and security. He thinks we can still fix things. \nAt AI Fabric\, he works to extend Bell’s nation-building tradition by creating infrastructure Canadians can trust\, supporting researchers and companies\, and ensuring that future technologies reflect shared values and strengthen the country’s role in the digital world.
URL:https://sciencepolicy.ca/event/clean-power-smart-sovereignty/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Virtual Sessions
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://sciencepolicy.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/CleanPower-July-6-Panel-en-1.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Canadian Science Policy Centre":MAILTO:info@sciencepolicy.ca
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260721T133000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260721T150000
DTSTAMP:20260610T210217Z
CREATED:20260512T141611Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260610T210217Z
UID:33775-1784640600-1784646000@sciencepolicy.ca
SUMMARY:Canada’s AI Advantage: Why It Exists—and What It Will Take to Scale It
DESCRIPTION:Register HereCanada has established itself as a global leader in artificial intelligence research and talent development. Yet despite these strengths\, translating that advantage into broad-based economic and societal impact remains uneven. \nThis panel will examine how Canada can more effectively move from discovery to deployment—closing the gap between research excellence and real-world adoption. Bringing together leaders from academia\, national AI institutes\, and industry\, the discussion will explore where the system is working\, where it is falling short\, and what it will take to scale impact. \nA central focus will be on how talent\, research\, and industry can be more tightly connected—ensuring that students\, researchers\, and companies are working together on real-world challenges earlier and more often. Drawing on practical experience\, panelists will highlight models that accelerate adoption\, strengthen talent pipelines\, and enable organizations to apply AI in meaningful\, measurable ways. \nAttendees will gain insights into: \n\nWhat is actually driving AI adoption in practice\, including approaches that embed talent within real-world environments to accelerate innovation and reduce barriers to implementation \nHow Canada can better align its research\, training\, and industry needs\, ensuring that highly qualified talent is equipped to contribute to applied AI and commercialization \nWhat systemic changes are needed to scale impact\, from institutional incentives within academia to national strategies that support adoption\, competitiveness\, and long-term growth \n\nThis session will move beyond potential to focus on execution—highlighting how Canada can convert its AI leadership into sustained economic and societal advantage. \nSpeaker information coming soon!Eva ReddingtonVice President\, Policy\, Program Development & Government Relations\, MitacsSee Bio× Eva Reddington\nVice President\, Policy\, Program Development & Government Relations\, Mitacs \nElissa StromeExecutive Director of the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy\, CIFARSee Bio×Elissa StromeElissa Strome is the Executive Director of the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy at CIFAR. She works with leaders at Canada’s three National AI Institutes in Edmonton (Amii)\, Montreal (Mila)\, and Toronto (Vector Institute) and across the country to advance Canada’s leadership in AI research\, training and innovation. She is a champion of equity\, diversity and inclusion in science\, and an ambassador for Canada’s position in AI research\, innovation\, and policy internationally. Elissa is a member of the federal government’s AI Advisory Council\, a member of the OECD’s Network of Experts on AI and Expert Group on AI in Health\, a member of the Health Canada Expert Advisory Committee for AI in Health\, and sits on the Advisory Board of York University’s Centre for AI & Society.Margo SeltzerCore Member\, AI@UBC Working GroupSee Bio×Margo SeltzerMargo Seltzer is a core member of our AI@UBC working group and department co-Head\, Canada 150 Research Chair in Computer Systems\, and the Cheriton Family chair in Computer Science at the University of British Columbia. Her research interests are in systems\, construed quite broadly\, including algorithms and systems for constructing optimal and interpretable machine learning models. One particularly novel stream of this work is the production of Rashomon Sets\, the set of all good models\, which give users the ability to select models that best reflect their domain expertise. \nDr. Seltzer was a co-founder and CTO of Sleepycat Software\, the makers of Berkeley DB\, the recipient of the 2021 ACM Software Systems award and the 2020 ACM SIGMOD Systems Award. She is a member of the Royal Society of Canada\, the National Academy of Engineering\, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.Youssef Helwa\nCEO and Co-founder\, FluidAI MedicalSee Bio×Youssef Helwa\nYoussef Helwa is the CEO and Co-founder of FluidAI Medical\, the world leader in postoperative care\, transforming how hospitals detect and prevent surgical complications through AI-powered patient monitoring. Built from his graduate research at the University of Waterloo\, FluidAI has grown into a globally deployed medtech company with regulatory clearances across multiple jurisdictions and clinical partnerships with some of the world’s most respected institutions\, including Cleveland Clinic\, Mayo Clinic\, and UHN. The company’s Stream Platform combines nanosensor technology and artificial intelligence to detect complications up to 80% faster than the standard of care\, backed by the world’s largest general surgery dataset spanning millions of patient records\, a strong IP portfolio\, and a suite of tools to optimize patient engagement\, clinical documentation\, and surgical billing. Youssef is on a mission to make surgical recovery smarter\, safer\, and more predictable for patients worldwide. \nCam LinkeCEO\, Alberta Machine Learning Institute (Amii)See Bio×Cam Linke\nCam Linke\, is the CEO of Alberta Machine Learning Institute (Amii) is a longtime leader in Canada’s technology and startup community. Over the past 10 years\, he has worked as a CEO\, investor\, community builder\, product manager\, software entrepreneur\, academic\, and developer. \nPast roles include Co-founder of Startup Edmonton\, Founder of Flightpath Ventures\, CEO of Touch Metric\, Product Manager at Nexopia.com\, and Founder of DemoCamp Edmonton. Linke is a sought-after speaker and mentor and has been recognized as Avenue Magazine Top 40 Under 40. \nHe holds a Master’s degree which was supervised by Dr. Richard Sutton and Dr. Adam White. His research\, which focused on AI adapting behaviours to improve their own self-learning\, has been published at top conferences. \nCory JanssenCo-Founder and CEO\, AltaMLSee Bio×Cory Janssen\nCory Janssen is Co-Founder and CEO of AltaML\, an applied AI company recognized for delivering agentic AI solutions that unlock measurable organizational value and elevate human potential. A seasoned technology entrepreneur\, Cory previously co-founded Investopedia in 1999 and developed it into a leading global financial education site before its sale to Forbes Media in 2007. \nChad CogarVice President of AI\, Creative Destruction LabSee Bio×Chad CogarChad Cogar is the Vice President of AI at Creative Destruction Lab\, where he leads AI initiatives and serves as a technical advisor to CDL’s enterprise AI adoption program “Putting AI to Work”. With over a decade of experience in AI strategy and implementation\, Chad specializes in developing AI systems that drive measurable business impact. Prior to joining CDL\, he led product management for the machine learning teams at Kindred AI and oversaw large-scale AI transformation initiatives for enterprise clients across multiple industries. Chad holds degrees in Law (JD)\, Business (MBA)\, and Computer Science (BSc) from the University of Toronto.
URL:https://sciencepolicy.ca/event/canadas-ai-advantage/
CATEGORIES:Virtual Sessions
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ORGANIZER;CN="Canadian Science Policy Centre":MAILTO:info@sciencepolicy.ca
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