OCEAN FRONTIER INSTITUTE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Business Strategist
- Lead Strategist, North Atlantic Carbon Observatory
Akash is a seasoned business strategist with extensive experience driving complex transformational initiatives - both at industry level and for leading North American financial institutions.
Despite being raised in the land-locked city of New Delhi, India, Akash dreamt of the high seas since childhood. After spending the last 20 years in the Financial Services industry - in senior roles that included Partner & Canadian Head of Financial Services Advisory practice at a Fortune 200 consulting firm and institutional derivatives trading - Akash finally pivoted to the Ocean industry.
He currently works at Canada's Ocean Frontier Institute focused on advancing its Innovation and Commercialization mandate, is a mentor at Ocean Startup Project and a Board member of Humber Bay Sailing Centre. Akash is passionate about ocean-based CDR and is leveraging his in-depth strategy consulting and capital markets experience to help propel it.
Akash is a graduate of Indian Institute of Technology, Richard Ivey School of Business at University of Western Ontario and Stanford Graduate School of Business. Akash is a drummer and an ardent sailor preparing for his maiden ocean passage. He lives with his family in Toronto, Canada.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Education and Engagement Manager
- Knowledge and Community Engagement Manager
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Executive Council
Job Titles:
- Member of the Data Management Committee
- Public Services and Research Data Management Librarian, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Job Titles:
- Member of the Innovation and Commercialization Committee
- Director of Product Management, Vemco
Job Titles:
- Vice President Research & Development, Cooke Aquaculture
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Associate Executive Director, Confederacy of Mainland Mi'Kmaq
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant
- Executive Assistant to the Chief Innovation Officer
Job Titles:
- EDIA Expert and Consultant
Aria Russell is an EDIA expert and consultant with over 7+ years of experience working in diversity & inclusion spaces.
She specializes in advocacy and has provided EDIA strategy planning and implementation, with a focus on under-represented groups, including People with Disabilities, Newcomers, Black, Racialized Minorities, 2SLGBTQI+, Indigenous communities and women.
Aria is a graduate of Bishop's University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science (Hons.) with a focus on gender equity, feminism, and women's rights. She has also acquired a number of EDIA certificates and training. Aside from her work as an EDIA Specialist, in her free time, she also supports other organizations on inclusion planning.
For leisure, Aria enjoys cooking food from different cuisines, watching travel & food blogs and loves to read and exploring new cultures.
Ariel graduated from Concordia University with a Master of Environmental Assessment (MEnv) in 2017 and has over 7 years of experience in project development, leadership, and data collection, specifically focused on plastic pollution in the coastal and marine environment. During this time, Ariel oversaw partnership management and published research, including microplastic results in Elsevier's Marine Pollution Bulletin in 2022. Ariel is currently a board member at the Canadian Network for Ocean Education (CaNOE) and previously chaired a Microplastic Working Group from 2019 to 2023, which consists of Atlantic Canadian stakeholders across all sectors.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Deputy Minister, Ecosystems and Oceans Science, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Job Titles:
- Member of the Innovation and Commercialization Committee
- Vice President of Sustainability, Ocean Choice
Job Titles:
- Art Director
- Graphic Designer
- Creative Communications Specialist
Carlos Benites is a skilled art director and graphic designer with over seven years of experience. He specializes in translating and transforming ideas into engaging visual design. He possesses a keen creative eye for detail, which he applies to shaping brand identities and designing digital content.
With a foundation in Marketing and Advertising, along with his experience in Broadcasting, Ad Agency and Publishing, his diverse experiences contribute to his ability to think conceptually and apply this approach to his creative work.
Beyond his design pursuits, Carlos is a die-hard soccer fan, if he is not enjoying the beautiful game on TV or at the stadium, he loves to travel, visiting museums and art galleries.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Director of Indigenous Community Engagement, Dalhousie
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Council
- Dalhousie University, Dean, Faculty of Science
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Dani graduated from Dalhousie University with BSc majoring in marine biology and minoring in film studies.
Dani has been involved in a variety of projects from interning with local filmmakers to handling marine species like sharks.
Most recently she has been working in science communications where she is able to bring ocean and climate science to a wider audience.
Job Titles:
- Electronics Engineering Technologist
- Field Team Manager
Dalhousie University has been a very close "customer" of Darrell's for over 20 years where he played the role of Customer Service and Support Manager at Satlantic in Halifax. At Satlantic, Darrell specialized in all aspects of assembling, testing, calibrating, repairing and deploying countless pieces of equipment and sensor suites.
Darrell is an Electronics Engineering Technologist, with a diploma in Computer Technology from NSCC. As part of Dalhousie's Oceanographic Technical Team, Darrell uses his prior training and work experience to ensure critical quality data keeps rolling in.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, Marine Alliance for Science and Technology Scotland
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Scientific Committee
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Member of the Executive Council
- Member of the Management Committee
- Scientific Director
- Co - Chair of the Prestigious Global Ocean Observation System Steering Committee
- OFI CEO & Scientific Director, Dalhousie University Associate Vice - President Research ( Ocean )
- OFI Chief Executive Officer and Scientific Director
Dr. Waite is the chief executive officer and scientific director of the Ocean Frontier Institute. Previously, she served as Section Head of Polar Biological Oceanography at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven and as Professor of Oceanography in the Department of Biology at the University of Bremen.
After completing a BSc in biology in 1985 at Dalhousie University, she obtained her PhD in 1992 in biological oceanography at the University of British Columbia. She then held postdoctoral positions at WHOI (USA) and the Victoria University (New Zealand).
In 1997 Dr. Waite took a professorship at the University of Western Australia in Perth, and was there for 17 years as a biological oceanographer. She was a research group leader in the Oceans Institute in addition to teaching students in the Environmental Engineering program. Dr. Waite's early work included participation in the first Southern Ocean iron fertilization experiment, SOIREE. After this, Dr. Waite's work in the East Indian Ocean explored the dynamics of mesoscale eddies, the nitrogen cycle in oligotrophic systems and the biology of the spiny lobster larvae in Australian waters. Her current interests include nitrogen fluxes in polar oceans and particle dynamics in mesoscale eddies.
Dr. Waite is co-chair of the prestigious Global Ocean Observation System steering committee - the first woman at the head of this body since its creation in 2011. She also sits on the boards of Canada's Ocean Supercluster and The Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction and Response Network (MEOPAR). She is on the Editorial Board of the international journal Limnology and Oceanography, co-chair of the SCOR Working Group on biological observation systems, "P-OBS" and was on the Steering Committee of the Southern Ocean Observation System (SOOS) from 2017-2020.
Job Titles:
- Ocean Literacy Ambassador
I am a marine ecologist with a special interest in understanding relationships between people and marine biodiversity at large spatial scales. I have worked extensively on the effects of fishing and climate change on marine ecosystems, aiming to answer fundamental questions about human role in contemporary ecosystems. I am also Co-founder and Scientific Director of Ocean School, an audiovisual education initiative to enhance ocean literacy among youth in Canada and internationally.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Associate Scientific Director, Transforming Climate Action Research Program
- Transforming Climate Action Associate Scientific Director, Dalhousie University
Jean-François Bousquet joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Dalhousie University in July 2013 and the Ocean Frontier Institute in July 2023. He is a graduate of Ecole Polytechnique de Montréal where he completed his B. Eng. in Electrical Engineering in 2001. He also completed his MSc and PhD degrees in Electrical Engineering at the University of Calgary in 2007 and 2011 respectively, where he focused on the implementation of low-power integrated circuits applied to wireless communication. Between 2009 and 2011, he was employed as a high-speed analog IC designer at Ciena for the development of coherent fibre optics communication networks. Between 2019 and 2022, he was appointed as Head the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He is currently Associate Editor for the Canadian Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering and a member of the Mitacs Research Council.
Since joining Dalhousie University, he has developed a research program on underwater communications and technology, developing digital signal processing algorithms to mitigate the effects of the distortive acoustic propagation media. He is particularly interested in enabling underwater networks, using low-power electronics systems, and in 2022, his team developed an embedded system to detect harbour porpoises, a system that was deployed in the Bay of Fundy in the Summer 2022 to prevent the animals from being caught in tidal turbines. On the long-term, he is striving towards the development of new standardized underwater communication platforms on application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) for the deployment of next-generation underwater drones.
Job Titles:
- Associate Scientific Director, Transforming Climate Action Research Program
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Data Management Committee
- Deputy Scientific Director
Job Titles:
- Manager, Innovation and Commercialization
Dr. Morteza began his academic journey by specializing in Mechanical Engineering during his undergraduate studies. This laid the foundation for his pursuit of a Master of Applied Science at Concordia University, where he delved into biomedical engineering-related topics. Following this, he embarked on a Ph.D. program at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Throughout his time in graduate studies and during a postdoctoral fellowship, he served as a scientist in the field of biomedical engineering, playing an active role in advancing innovative technologies. This diverse background in both science and engineering has not only enhanced his skill set but also positioned him as a versatile professional capable of bridging the gap between scientific exploration and technological innovation.
In 2020, after completing his Ph.D., his professional journey took a distinctive turn as he entered a non-traditional postdoctoral fellowship, where he focused on developing and commercializing a product for early cancer diagnosis, emphasizing the isolation of extracellular vesicles.
To refine his entrepreneurial skills, he actively participated in Dalhousie University's Lab2Market-Health Cohort program, receiving extensive training in product commercialization. Further honing this expertise, he engaged in the VOLT program at Toronto Metropolitan University's Innovation Boost Zone, gaining valuable hands-on experience in applying entrepreneurial knowledge to real-world scenarios.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Member of the Executive Council
- Member of the Management Committee
- Member of the Scientific Committee
- Scientific Director
- Co - Chair )
- OFI Associate Scientific Director, Memorial University
- Professor of Biological Oceanography
Dr. Snelgrove is a Professor of Biological Oceanography in the Department of Ocean Sciences and Biology Department at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Since 2008 he has served as Director of the NSERC Canadian Healthy Oceans Network, a research initiative that began in 2008 and brings together researchers in Canada from coast to coast.
In March 2020, he began an appointment as Departmental Science Advisor to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). From 2003 to 2013, he held a Canada Research Chair in Boreal and Cold Ocean Systems, and in 2012 he held the Knapp Visiting Chair at the University of San Diego.
From 1996-2002 he held an NSERC Industrial Chair in Fisheries Conservation. In addition to publishing more than 100 research papers throughout his career, Dr. Snelgrove published the book "Discoveries of the Census of Marine Life: Making Ocean Life Count" with Cambridge University Press in 2010. DFO awarded him the Parsons Medal for Achievement in Interdisciplinary Ocean Sciences in Canada in 2013. In 2015, Memorial University awarded him the title; University Research Professor. Among his many awards and achievements, Dr. Snelgrove sits on numerous advisory boards in Canada and internationally and frequently participates in review panels and editorial boards.
Dr. Snelgrove received a BSc. Hons degree in Biology at Memorial in 1984, a Master's degree in Oceanography from McGill University in 1987 and a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Biology Department at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in 1993.
Job Titles:
- Research Programs Manager
Weishan is a two-time Dalhousie graduate (Master of Marine Management and PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies). She has worked with a large research project under OFI's Safe and Sustainable Development of the Ocean Frontier program with a focus on safe navigation and marine environmental protection policies.
Weishan manages the programs within the Transforming Climate Action initiative, while also building relationships and strengthening collaborations between researchers at the four partner institutions and supporting TCA Research Advisory Committee.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive, National Oceanography Centre
Job Titles:
- Chief Innovation Officer
- Executive in Residence, Oceans CDL, Atlantic
- OFI Chief Innovation Officer
Eric has worked at the intersection of ocean science, innovation, and international business for twenty years. He has held director and founder positions in global ocean technology companies leading teams in product development, business development, sales, marketing, and advanced manufacturing. Eric has extensive experience living and working in North America, Europe, the UK, and Asia.
Eric's early ocean research focused on shelf-slope interactions of the Loop Current on the West Florida Continental Shelf and expanded into bio-physical interactions in West Coast estuaries and the Puget Sound. Eric helped support the first ECOHAB and iron fertilization studies in Florida and developed the first profiling CTD with water bottle rosette deployed from sea planes in the Puget Sound. He moved into industry to enable more innovative ocean observations including novel current, wave and turbulence measurements from ADCPs, with applications in renewable energy, offshore aquaculture, global ocean observing, coastal processes, and hydraulic laboratories. He helped develop and install the first ADCPs on ocean gliders, high-performance CTDs on Argo floats and ocean gliders, and more accurate subsea navigation systems on AUVs and ROVs. Eric developed and led several graduate student innovation programs including a decade of the Nortek Student Equipment Grants and the RBR 2020 Cohort.
Eric serves on the UN Ocean Decade Technology & Innovation Informal Working Group, sits on the Board of Directors at Sustainable Oceans Applied Research and Sail Nova Scotia, and supports the Creative Destruction Lab Oceans stream as the Executive in Residence. Eric is trained in physical oceanography, naval architecture and marine engineering, and earned an MBA with a focus on leadership, innovation, and global business. When not helping ocean scientists and companies, Eric is an active sailor, having crossed both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans on his small boats, and is now racing Bluenose Class Sloops with his family in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Data Management Committee
- Research Data Management Librarian, Dalhousie University
Job Titles:
- Member of the Data Management Committee
- Research Scientist, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Council
- Dalhousie University, Vice President, Finance & Administration
Job Titles:
- Manager of Communications and Public Relations
With more than 15 years of experience in journalism and government communications, Greg Hanna is the Manager of Communications and Public Relations for the Ocean Frontier Institute (OFI).
Prior to joining the OFI team, he served as the Senior Digital Communications Advisor for Corporate Communications at the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT). In this role, he was responsible for overseeing and transforming all government websites and social media channels for 10 departments and nine agencies.
Prior to working for corporate communications, he served in various communications and policy roles with the GNWT's Department of Infrastructure, where he was responsible for several high-profile events and initiatives, including the opening of the Inuvik Tuktoyaktuk Highway - the first highway in Canada to reach the Arctic Ocean.
Hanna studied journalism and political science at Toronto Metropolitan University and graduated in 2016. He moved to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories before returning to Nova Scotia in April 2022.
His earlier work in journalism, which started at the age of 12, has included hosting and writing duties at CBC Radio, The Weather Network, The Coast 89.7, True North FM, and Cabin Radio.
In his free time, Hanna enjoys working out, travelling, the beach, camping, and time with family and friends.
Job Titles:
- Interim Director, Future Africa and Strategic Advisor on Transdisciplinarity and Global Knowledge Networks at the University of Pretoria
Job Titles:
- Member of the Data Management Committee
- Chief Technology Officer, ACENET
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Council
- Representative from Tri - Agency Institutional Programs Secretariat
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Committee
- Operations Manager
- OFI Manager of Operations
Job Titles:
- Chief Scientist Emeritus, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Job Titles:
- Member of the Data Management Committee
- Member of the Innovation and Commercialization Committee
- Executive Director, DeepSense
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Council
- Dalhousie University, Dean of Engineering
Job Titles:
- Member of the Data Management Committee
- Assistant Director of Data Management, Ocean Tracking Network
Bringing together researchers, industry and government to solve complex ocean problems
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Committee
- Research Scientist, Marine Institute at Memorial University of Newfoundland
Job Titles:
- Partner With Propeller Ventures
Job Titles:
- Member of the Innovation and Commercialization Committee
- Director, Commercialization, Industry & Innovation, Research Services, University of Prince Edward Island
Job Titles:
- Professor, Atmospheric Physics, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and Christian - Albrechts Universität Zu Kiel
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Senior Executive Assistant to the CEO & Scientific Director
Khrista joined the OFI in 2019 following a 30 year career in the private sector where she worked as an office supervisor. She received a diploma in HR and Labour relations with honours from Athabasca University in 2013 and has successfully completed numerous professional development courses during her career.
In addition to supporting the CEO, she assists with conference planning and organization and provides support to the Research Program Manager.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Data Management Committee
- Health Sciences and Scholarly Communications Librarian, University of Prince Edward Island
Job Titles:
- Chief Administrative Officer
- Member of the Executive Council
- Member of the Management Committee
- OFI Chief Administrative Officer
Ms Thomson has more than 20 years of experience as a senior administrator in both university and government sectors. Prior to joining OFI, she served as Chief of Staff to the Provost and Executive Director of the Provost's Office at Dalhousie University where she was responsible for developing and implementing strategy to address priority initiatives, and for providing senior administrative leadership and oversight within the Provost's complex portfolio.
Prior to joining Dalhousie in 2001, Ms Thomson spent more than ten years at the Council of Maritime/Atlantic Premiers facilitating collaborative programming between the Maritime/Atlantic provinces, and between Eastern Canada and the New England States. She has also provided strategic and administrative leadership to numerous volunteer-based organizations. She has an MBA from Saint Mary's University.
Larissa joined us at the start of 2021 as the ocean imaging specialist. She previously worked for the Applied Oceans Research Group using a variety of imaging systems.
Larissa graduated from the Nova Scotia Community College's (NSCC) Oceans Technology program in 2019. Preceding this she received a BSc in Biology from Mount Saint Vincent University.
Shortly after graduating from the Dalhousie Marine Biology program in 2014, Magda started working as a research assistant in Dr. Hugh MacIntyre's Phytoplankton Lab. She joined the RIU in 2017 as a part-time field technician assisting with Bedford Basin Time Series. In the winter of 2020, she took over the role of the Program Manager.
She loves spending time near or on the ocean, and the new position meets her curiosity of the natural environment.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Deputy Minister, Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Committee
- UPEI Manager, Research Services
Job Titles:
- Member of the Scientific Committee
Job Titles:
- President, Innovasea Systems, Inc
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Committee
- Dalhousie Assistant Vice - President, Office of Research Services
Job Titles:
- Member of the Innovation and Commercialization Committee
- Chief Executive Officer, COVE
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Appointee, Atlantic Policy Congress of the First Nations Chiefs Secretariat
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Interim Associate Vice - President ( Indigenous Research ) at Memorial University
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Council
- Memorial University, Acting Vice - President, Marine Institute
Job Titles:
- Administrative and Financial Assistant
Paula is a Dalhousie graduate with a BSc in Physics and a Diploma in Meteorology. She has worked in the banking industry, has been a small business owner, and most recently worked in the public school system in administrative and financial supporting roles.
Paula provides executive and financial assistance to the Deputy Scientific Director and Finance Manager at OFI, while also supporting the IMBeR International Project Office-Canada.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Innovation and Commercialization Committee
- Technology Transfer & Commercialization Office, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Job Titles:
- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, CFFI Ventures
Job Titles:
- Member of the Scientific Committee
Raymond has a BSc Biology from Dalhousie 1992 and Diploma of Computer Science from COGS 1995. Raymond has 25 years experience in ETL and GIS database development.
He joined the team in May 2021 and works on the RIU data team.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Data Management Committee
- Research Implementation Unit Director
- RIU Manager
Mr. Davis coordinates the technical team formed by OFI to serve the oceanographic needs of OFI, Dalhousie, and external partners. Mr. Davis has managed scientific projects within Dalhousie University for over 20 years, including expeditions from the Arctic to the Antarctic. He was the project manager for Canada's first automated research buoy system installed in Lunenburg Bay as part of the Centre for Marine Environmental Prediction. For the last eight years he has managed the underwater glider program started by the Ocean Tracking Network (OTN) and then enhanced by the Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction and Response (MEOPAR) Network of Centres of Excellence. He also is the technical team lead for MEOPAR's Observation Core on the east coast.
Mr. Davis received his bachelor's degree (honors) in aquatic biology from the University of Texas at Austin and his master's degree in biological oceanography from the University of Texas with Dr. John Cullen as his supervisor. His research interests are primarily in bio-optical oceanography and phytoplankton physiology and ecology but of late has expanded to the use of marine robots to enhance ocean observation.
Job Titles:
- Science and Policy Manager
Ronnie Noonan-Birch is a marine socioecologist whose work focuses on the intersection of people and the ocean, specifically on how human well-being is intrinsically linked to ocean health.
Ronnie has a BSc in Marine Biology and a Master's in Environmental Studies. Her graduate thesis on Canada's blue economy operationalized the SDGs to create a framework that can assess the social equity, environmental sustainability, and economic viability of ocean industry operators.
Her pursuit to understand the complex relationships between human activities and ocean ecosystems has brought her to far-flung places like Antarctica where she participated in a Canadian delegation to explore pressing issues of conservation, climate change, and bipolar linkages. Ronnie is also passionate about elevating the voices of her fellow early career ocean professionals (ECOPs) and co-founded ECOP Canada, a national node of the UN Decade-endorsed ECOP Network Programme.
Ronnie's professional experiences have amounted to a keen understanding of the international ocean science-policy landscape and the dynamics of the Canadian ocean community. She takes this knowledge into her role at OFI to support the creation of the North Atlantic Carbon Observatory.
Job Titles:
- Government Relations and Communications Coordinator at OFI
Sara Leslie graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Dalhousie University in 2013 before studying journalism at the University of King's College. She recently completed a Master of Fine Arts in creative non-fiction and has published more than 30 articles for print magazines and digital media outlets. In 2020, Sara received the RBC Emerging Artist Award for creative non-fiction writing from Nova Scotia Talent Trust.
In her role as Government Relations and Communications Coordinator at OFI, Sara is responsible for developing and implementing government relations and communications tactics to support the institute's strategies and goals. This includes writing and strategically disseminating key messages, preparing and editing publications for internal and external audiences, and supporting effective media relations.
Job Titles:
- Research Implementation Unit Operations Manager
- Research Operations Manager
Sarah Al-Shaghay, a Research Operations Manager who has been working at Dalhousie University for over 15 years where she started as a lab technician at Dr. Sara Iverson's Marine Biology Fat Lab. She then moved to manager operations at CERC under Dr. Douglas Wallace and is currently the RIU operations Manager at OFI.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Data Management Committee
- Executive Director, Canadian Integrated Ocean Observing System - Atlantic
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Director of Aquatic Research and Stewardship, Unama'Ki Institute of Natural Resources
Job Titles:
- Member of the Scientific Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Innovation and Commercialization Committee
- Assistant Vice President ( Industry Relations ), Office of Commercialization and Industry Engagement
Job Titles:
- Member of the Innovation and Commercialization Committee
- Chief Technology Officer, Ocean Supercluster
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Council
- Memorial University, Acting Vice - President ( Research )
Job Titles:
- Member of the Data Management Committee
- Professor, Saint Mary 's University
Job Titles:
- Training and Early Career Development Program Manager
Tracey, a two-time Dalhousie graduate and biological engineer by educational training, joined the OFI in 2019 after working at the University of Victoria in student recruitment and academic department administration.
Tracey manages the Ocean Graduate Excellence Network, while also assisting on special projects and supporting the IMBeR International Project office.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Council
- Memorial University, Acting Dean of Science
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Dalhousie University
Zach Viva is a 2019 graduate of the Nova Scotia Community College's (NSCC) Oceans Technology program, he started an internship as a glider technician after completing his program. Zach also has a diploma in Electronic Engineering Technology and is currently enrolled part time in the Bachelor of Technology, Engineering and Applied Sciences program at Memorial University.
During his time at NSCC, he helped design two remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), one of which was used to compete in the International Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) ROV competition in 2015. Zach was one of the team's design leads and the craft's pilot during the competition.
In his current role at Dalhousie, Zach is responsible for glider operations with wave gliders and Slocum gliders, focusing mostly on Slocum prep-work, maintenance, repair, as well as deployments and recoveries.