SEEGrad 2025

Alex Canning-Choi is an aerospace engineer turned EV infrastructure specialist, with a career dedicated to advancing sustainable energy and transportation solutions. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Aerospace from Carleton University and an MBA in Innovation & Entrepreneurship from UBC Sauder School of Business.

Currently a Project Manager at BC Hydro, Alex oversees the design, deployment, and optimization of large-scale EV charging networks, collaborating with utilities, municipalities, and private stakeholders to accelerate electrification efforts. His prior experience spans engineering project integration, system design, and infrastructure deployment, having worked on major energy and transportation projects, including the development of Rolls-Royce’s Test Bed 80 (the world’s largest gas turbine test facility).

Passionate about technology-driven sustainability, Alex applies his engineering expertise to solving real-world challenges in EV charging site design, grid integration, and energy infrastructure development.

Ali Kazemkhani is a passionate engineer dedicated to sustainability, efficiency, and eco-friendly innovation.

After earning his postgraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering, he pioneered micro-mobility solutions by developing the first Universal Electric Bike Conversion Kit in 2002. However, in an oil- and gas-rich country where e-mobility was undervalued, he sought a place where his vision could thrive. Finding no such company, he founded ENVO Drive in Canada, bringing together a team of top talents committed to innovation. 

Under his leadership, ENVO has introduced groundbreaking micro- and mini-mobility solutions, including electric bikes, snowbikes, electric ATVs, e-velomobiles, and most recently, a game-changing mini-mobility vehicle called UPT.

As a thought leader in micro-mobility, Ali champions its vast potential to reshape urban transportation. His vision has positioned ENVO among Deloitte’s Fast 50 Clean Tech companies, driving the movement toward “rightsizing mobility for a healthier community.” 

Brandon Hong is an Account Executive at Moment Energy, responsible for driving business growth through strategic partnerships and sales initiatives. He plays a key role in identifying and building client relationships while shaping Moment Energy’s sales strategy alongside the co-founders. Brandon successfully secured major contracts, including agreements with BC Hydro and God’s Pocket Resort—the largest in Moment Energy’s history. He is an SFU alumni with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.

As a senior research scientist, Dr. Arman Bonakdarpour has been leading research projects at UBC’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering in the fields of sustainable electrochemical energy and water technologies, including batteries, fuel cells, electrolysis, water treatment, and CO₂ conversion. His work has resulted in over 85 peer-reviewed papers and 12 patents. He is a co-founder and technical advisor at Mangrove Lithium. As a faculty member, Arman teaches sustainable energy technologies, energy modeling, and energy computer applications at New York Tech (Vancouver). In the summer of 2024, Arman was invited by the U.S. Department of Energy to lead a team of students in the National U.S. Collegiate Solar District Cup. His team successfully advanced as finalists and has been invited to participate in the second and final phase of the solar-plus-storage competition.