Our Team

I am enthusiastic. I care. I work hard. I love my family. I have other attributes as well. I am stubborn. I move fast. I get grumpy, especially when tired. The positive ones (enthusiasm, caring, working hard, love) are the values I try to emulate in my teaching. I am an assistant professor at the University of Waterloo, School of Environment Enterprise and Development. In addition to teaching, I strive to advance interesting and innovative research that has positive impact. Prior to joining the University of Waterloo in 2019, I was a consultant specializing in sustainability measurement and strategy.  I had a lot of great mentors during that part of my career. I learnt the importance of building relationships, integrity, and surrounding yourself with a great team (like this one). As a dad and a teacher, I want young people to know amazing things happen all the time. Yes, the environmental challenges we face are real and complex. I am not in denial. But, like I tell my boys, here we are. This is our moment. We can freeze up in fear or be bold. Being bold is so much more fun.

To learn about my professional work and for a full list of publications please visit terrametricresearch.com or see my Google Scholar Profile

When I was a first-year environment student, I sincerely thought I was not emotionally cut out to be successful in my field of study. I hadn't realized how common it was to view environmental discourse as both intriguing and overwhelming. It wasn't until I reached out to my peers and professors that I noticed people’s reluctance to talk about hope for our future. I knew then that I had to advocate for normalizing that conversation. I partnered with Dr. Wilson to develop an initiative to help boost the morale of people who need a reminder of all that is still possible. Today I am sincerely appreciative of the renewed sense of agency I’ve developed through reading, writing, and making videos about incredible and unforeseen breakthroughs around the world. I am also honored to lead a team of phenomenal impossible thinkers in providing a more optimistic outlook of the future despite the seemingly insurmountable challenges that continue to lie ahead. Together we can make the seemingly impossible possible!

For more details on my work, please visit my LinkedIn Profile

I believe we all face impossible challenges in our lives. For myself, even the prospect of achieving my university degree seemed like an impossibility. At the age of 15, I left school and thought I would never be able to return and achieve my dreams of a university education. Even once I did, I faced very difficult situations with my health that made it a challenge.

However, if someone wants to achieve something badly enough, or believes that they truly can, I think that anything is possible. Despite all the obstacles, I completed my studies with an Honours Bachelor of Science and a Diploma in Sustainability within 4 years of entering university. I pushed myself to do what seemed Impossible and made my dreams Possible. These experiences and my course of studies have given me hope for the challenges we face as a society and for the environment.

I think we must find hope and courage wherever we can. Sometimes it comes from the support of people around us, sometimes it comes from within, or maybe it comes from the inspirational stories of others. Wherever you find it, hold on to it, and do not let go.

For more details on my work and to connect with me directly please visit my LinkedIn Profile

This quote from Nelson Mandela is hugely impactful in my life. Like everyone, I sometimes find myself caught in the middle of situations with no clear end in sight. It’s only by recognizing that to get to the end, you’ve got to start somewhere that I realize my own ability to turn a situation that seemed impossible on its head.  

I think of this quote every day and I strive to find ways to put it into practice. As an Environment and Business student at the University of Waterloo, I’ve grown to be fascinated by the intersection between social issues, the environment, and business objectives and am passionate about corporate social responsibility's potential as a tool for impactful sustainable change.

The future is an empty canvas, waiting for us to design it and leave our mark on the world. It can seem daunting, but we are born with all the tools we need, it's up to us how we use them. I believe that it's so important for people to see examples of when what was deemed impossible became possible so that they can recognize their own capability to enact change: and that is exactly what this project aims to do.

For more details on my work and to connect with me directly please visit my LinkedIn Profile.