Academic Director Felix Nwaishi, 

I am an ecosystem scientist, with a specific interest in understanding how components of an ecosystem work together to support the delivery of ecosystem services such as water filtration. I build on this understanding of ecosystem processes to design and implement mitigation strategies for ecosystems impacted by human and natural disturbances.

Personally, I have a natural flair for storytelling, problem-solving, creative thinking, and driving
innovations. My academic and research career paths have evolved from these core aspects
of my personality traits, which makes me a visionary scientist by training and inclination. Over the past 10 years, my research has focused on mitigating the impact of resource exploration on Alberta’s unique natural environment through the development of novel ecological restoration and reclamation techniques for wetlands impacted by oil and gas exploration.

This has enabled me to make a direct contribution to the environmental sustainability impacts of resource exploration industries in Alberta. However, in a rapidly changing climate, there is a crucial need to go beyond environmental impact mitigation and advance our ability to renew and conserve the natural capitals that human development heavily relies on. Having an Institute dedicated to learning and advancing ways of actualizing this crucial environmental sustainability goal is very essential, especially for a University located in the western Canadian hub of energy development. In my new role as the Acting Director of the Institute for Environmental Sustainability, my vision for the institute is to establish a platform for building innovative collaboration among key stakeholders through knowledge exchange and advanced research programs that will lead to the development of environmental sustainability strategies required to address the challenges of climate change. I am looking forward to exploring these opportunities in collaboration with MRU Faculty, Students, and Business Units. The Institute will also be stepping up in the capacity of an academic partner to support the Alberta energy industry’s journey to net zero. Over time, our partnership will be extended to other sectors of the economy, making MRU the citadel of environmental sustainability research and knowledge exchange in Alberta.

Associate Don Carruthers Den Hoed, PhD

As an Associate with the IES, Don's work focuses on managing the Canadian Parks Collective for Innovation and Leadership (CPCIL). Funded by the Canadian Parks Council, led by IES, and in collaboration with several other institutions, the CPCIL comprises programming and research that will support parks and protected areas leadership and communities of practice across Canada. 

Don combines 26 years of leadership in Provincial Parks interpretation, inclusion, and management with research focused on the mental health and well-being benefits of inclusive nature experiences, interdisciplinary research in parks and protected areas, transformative learning and leadership in parks, and the role of protected areas and sacred places in the Anthropocene.