Dr. Emily Tow
Dr. Emily Tow is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Olin College of Engineering. Dr. Tow’s research focuses on understanding membrane fouling mechanisms and improving energy efficiency in water reuse and desalination through the development of time-variant reverse osmosis (RO) systems. She recently led a team that piloted a batch RO brine concentration system with a flexible bladder, winning the national More Water Less Concentrate competition. She has more than 20 peer-reviewed journal publications and patents in the fields of heat transfer and water treatment. Her teaching focuses on thermodynamics, heat transfer, and fluid mechanics, and she loves helping students find joy and utility in learning these topics and applying them in sustainability contexts. Dr. Tow received her PhD in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and was an ITRI-Rosenfeld Postdoctoral Fellow at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.
Gwen Bridge
Gwen Bridge is a member of the Saddle Lake Cree Nation and has been working for over 20 years with First Nations, all levels of government, and the private and non profit sectors, across North America, developing relationships and strategies that advance reconciliation. Gwen has been negotiating initiatives and advising on strategy and policy that recognize and implement Indigenous Knowledge, such as in the proposed South Okanagan Similkameen National Park Reserve. Gwen has also recently been advising the BC government on how to better consider indigenous knowledge in collaborative land use planning and forestry related climate change considerations. Support to local governments include developing strategies and principles for becoming “Cities of Reconciliation”, and advising on climate change policy and economic development engagement strategies. Indigenous led conservation focuses recently include the smelqmix Protected Area and caribou habitat conservation advancement in the territory of the Okanagan Nation Alliance. Advancing an understanding of the ecological, economic and equity based partnership mechanisms to support our collective reconciliation agenda through training is a recent focus. Other clients include First Nations and First Nation organizations, Parks Canada, US National Parks Service, National Geographic Society, other non profits, regional and municipal governments including Metro Vancouver, other consulting firms, the University of Washington, Blue Quills University, BC Ministries of: Environment, Indigenous Relationships and Reconciliation, Forests, and Land, Water and Resource Stewardship. Gwen is an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Forestry at UBC. Gwen has a Master of Science in Forest Hydrology from the University of Alberta.
Dr. Zafar Adeel
Dr. Zafar Adeel serves as the Executive Director of the Pacific Water Research Centre at Simon Fraser University, and as Professor of Professional Practice at the SFU School of Sustainable Energy Engineering. He has over 25 years of experience in a broad range of environmental engineering, science, and policy issues; this includes 18 years of work as a UN official. He served as the Director, United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) from 2006 to 2016. He also served in a number of international leadership roles: including chairing a group of over 60+ organizations called UN-Water (2010-2012) and co-chairing the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment team of scientists that produced the global desertification synthesis in 2005. Dr. Adeel led the development of a south-south network of scientists working in water-scarce countries, particularly focused on rural and remote communities in Africa, Middle East and Asia. His research focuses on the intersection of water security, technological innovation, and community-engaged research activities. He is the Series Editor of a book series by Springer: “Water Security in a New World.”