ANIL (Andy) HIRA, Lead Researcher

Professor, Political Science at Simon Fraser University

Expertise: economic development, energy policy, regulation, political economy

CONTACT INFORMATION

Email: ahira@sfu.ca

Personal website: www.sfu.ca/~ahira

Andy has over 20 years of experience as a professor and an analyst of economic development issues. Most of his career has involved work in the South, including field research in Latin America, East Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. You can find a list of his publications and technical reports on his website.

Prasanna Krishnan

Prasanna Krishnan is principal at Surya Energy Consulting

He is an expert in solar energy, technology commercialization, data analysis, and project management of renewable energy sources. He has lived in nine countries in different regions (South Asia, Oceania, Europe, North America, South America) working in renewable energy and sustainability, particularly the deployment of large-scale solar power plants. He has volunteered for several community organizations throughout his career, including serving as chair of the board of a non-profit providing renewable energy systems to cooperatives and non-profits. Currently, he focuses on solar energy and building sustainable communities, both locally in B.C. and worldwide.

Matt Wilder

Matt Wilder is a political economy and public policy specialist whose research deals with governance surrounding innovation and equitable growth. Matt obtained a PhD in political science in 2019 from the University of Toronto, where he examined Canadian industrial policy through a comparative lens. From 2020-2021, Matt was a Visiting Fellow in the Department of Government at Harvard University, where he analyzed international knowledge flows based on patent text using natural language processing. Matt is currently a research advisor in the Government of Canada (Department of Employment and Social Development), research associate at the University of Toronto, and lecturer at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.

Andrew S. Wright

Andrew S. Wright is former high technology entrepreneur and is currently an adjunct professor at Simon Fraser University in the Faculty of the Environment. Since 2007, he has actively engaged in promoting enhanced inner-city childhood education programs and ecological conservation efforts. In addition to directly supporting the Great Bear Rainforest agreement via donation, he has played a direct technical role in advancing land-based closed containment salmon aquaculture in B.C. 

The development of the Namgis Kuterra FinFish aquaculture farm is a direct result of these efforts. He is involved in a wide range of conservation endeavours and sits on the boards of various groups and initiatives. Additionally, he is a passionate conservation photographer and has produced two books, Emeralds at the Edge and Faltering Light, both arguing the case for increased conservation in British Columbia.

Jae Mather

Jae Mather is an executive who influences senior leaders to move beyond theory to the practical application through innovating new technologies, training, and services. He designs and implements renewable energy, efficiency, and climate change strategies. He is a cleantech growth strategist, global macro trend specialist, and a champion of the low carbon economy. 

For 15+ years he has been instrumental in shaping the sustainability agenda across Europe including running the Eco-Enterprise, the first EU-funded environmental technology support programme in the UK and Canada and shaping policy at local government and for companies, such as Finger Food Studios, Heitman, ARM, and Footlocker. He has been the Executive Director of the Clean Energy Association of British Columbia and the International Business Development & Sustainability Strategist for David Richardson’s group of companies.

He is a board member of the Board of Change (Vancouver) is a member of the editorial board of the Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment (IEMA) Transform Magazine. 

As a solutions expert, his focus is on translating the broad vision of the transition to the low carbon future into pragmatic, practical solutions today. He leads from the centre as we transition from disruption to transformation.

Alex Hinrichs

Alex Hinrichs is a student at SFU. She is currently completing her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with honours and is in the accelerated Master's program of the department. 

Her main research focus is energy policy.