An introduction from Calgary

I have only been on the job a few weeks now, and it has been an extreme pleasure to join the Science and Innovation team. It is very exciting to be covering the wealth of opportunities offered across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, as well as being based in Calgary, a hub for energy opportunities.

Before I start posting on my current work I thought I should give you a little insight into my background.

I completed my Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Memorial University of Newfoundland. Fortunately by pursuing a co-operative education degree, I had the opportunity to complete work-terms in diverse settings across Canada, from an iron mine in Labrador to Calgary’s oil sector to hi-tech electronics labs in Ottawa. The latter helped me land a job doing circuit design at Blackberry (a.k.a. Research in Motion) after graduation.

I also spent a good deal of time volunteering with Engineers Without Borders Canada, an international development NGO, educating Canadians about global issues, particularly within sub-Saharan Africa. This turned my interest toward the questions of how engineering and technology can serve society, and so I left Blackberry to learn more about it at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

I graduated LSE with a Masters in Social Policy and Development where I focused on how participatory business models can empower communities, such as Fair Trade cooperatives in Palestine.

With a passion for the potential innovative uses of community participation for achieving development goals, I worked in a small dedicated team with Tony Blair Faith Foundation to educate households across Sierra Leone about malaria prevention. Educating more than 1 million Sierra Leoneans about malaria prevention within 10 months through interfaith community collaboration was an eye-opening experience to the potential of innovative collaboration.

Upon returning to Canada, I worked with the Council of Canadian Academies researching policy opportunities related to green technology and memory institutions (e.g. libraries, archives, museums) working within the digital revolution. The rapid growth of new technologies and connections seen in the digital revolution is both amazing and intimidating to deal with. I am passionate about discovering opportunities to link emerging science and technologies to social and policy issues through collaborative development.

Now as a member of the Science and Innovation team I hope that developing research and development connections between the UK and Canada can help people and institutions spread far and wide to effectively and responsibly reach their full potential in an array of sectors to benefit society. I love connecting diverse populations for shared goals, mainly because I enjoy tapping into what makes people great and how they can work together.

For updates until my next post follow me on Twitter @aatifb.