Citizen Advocate on Environmental, Cultural and Human Rights

Sheila Watt-Cloutier has been selected as a result of so many years of exceptional contribution and leadership over the course of her career in bringing Indigenous perspectives and knowledge to national and international policymaking, in particular on environmental health, sustainability and preservation.

She has raised awareness of the threat of climate change in the Arctic and its relationship to human rights and Indigenous rights in Canada, and globally, She has been clearly articulating the interconnectedness of Inuit culture, the environment, the economy, foreign policy, global health, and sustainability. Her work with the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment integrated traditional and western knowledge and evidence, bringing a human face to climate change in the Arctic. She has inspired the science policy community across Canada with her insights, courage, and voice.

Associate Vice-President, Knowledge Mobilization and Innovation, Simon Fraser University

Dr. Elicia Maine, Associate Vice-President, Knowledge Mobilization and Innovation at Simon Fraser University, was selected for her work on the i2I program, which was tailor-made to mobilize university research, teach science and technology commercialization, and develop an entrepreneurial mindset in graduate scientists and engineers. Dr. Maine recognized key gaps in our Canadian science innovation ecosystem: Canadian STEM researchers being underutilized, Canadian science breakthroughs being underdeveloped and scientists needing additional support to translate discoveries into value-creating products and companies. This program nurtures a pipeline of talent within the wider Canadian innovation ecosystem and is recognized globally because of its distinct approach to unleashing the innovation potential of STEM researchers.

Principal Research Officer, National Research Council of Canada

Dr. Gregory J. Smallwood, Principal Research Officer at the National Research Council of Canada, was selected for his work on international climate change-related policy, which comes at a critical time in efforts to achieve global policy agreements to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions. His science-to-policy advocacy has had a dramatically positive impact on reducing global transportation-related black carbon and other nvPM that are key drivers of climate change and adverse health effects. In particular, his sustained and creative policy advocacy has resulted in one of the most significant changes to global aircraft engine emission standards since the 1980s.

Professor, Toronto Metropolitan University

Dr. Imogen Coe, Professor, Toronto Metropolitan University, was selected for her work on integrating the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) into the research ecosystem of STEM including into the policies and practices of funding agencies and government, and into the workplaces of commerce and industry where scientific knowledge may be generated or applied. Long before EDI became street-talk within government and academia, she recognized a problem endemic to science. She has had significant influence on where, when, and how EDI has been – and is being – integrated into policy developed by government, funding agencies, scholarly societies, post-secondary institutions, health-care entities, and commercial and not-for-profit enterprises. Imogen Coe has inspired a generation with her championship work on EDI.