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Speaker Information

Jatin Nathwani (Moderating)

Dr. Jatin Nathwani is at the forefront of the global green revolution, pushing for sustainable electricity development for billions worldwide. Working closely with the Ontario government in his role as Ontario Research Chair in Public Policy and Sustainable Energy Management, Dr. Nathwani is leading initiatives for energy conservation and demand management in the province. With a focus on developing tangible solutions for both industry and public policy, he is investigating micro-grid combinations of wind and hydrogen fuel cells for electricity in Ontario's rural northern communities. Dr. Nathwani developed 'The Life Quality Index,' an effective tool that enables national policy decisions by assessing the lives of people in the midst of scarce resources. He has extensive experience in the energy sector in long-term corporate and policy strategy, regulatory affairs, and the timely integration of R&D into business practice and success. He is a member of Ontario's Smart Grid Forum and a Board Member for the Ontario Centre of Excellence for Energy. Dr. Nathwani received his PhD in Engineering and Environment from the University of Toronto.

Panel 1 Speakers 

Menelaos (Mel) Ydreos 

Menelaos (Mel) Ydreos is the Executive Director of EnergyVantage, a recently formed consulting firm specializing in supporting transformational energy solutions including global energy policy and strategy, organizational cultural, revenue and cost transformation.  He is currently the Interim President and CEO of the Ontario Energy Association.  Previously at Union Gas Ltd-A Spectra Energy Company, Ydreos lead the company's government, municipal and aboriginal affairs activities. He is active in the natural gas industry through his participation with the International Gas Union. Ydreos supported the American Gas Association in securing the IGU's 2015-18 presidency, as well as the 2018 World Gas Conference, which will be held in Washington. He also serves as vice chairman, Co-ordination Committee, for the 2012-15 IGU's French Triennium. Ydreos is the Founding Chair of Energy Technology and Innovation Canada, a member of Pollution Probe's Board of Directors and a member of the Advisory Committee of the Mowat Centre's Energy Fellow. Ydreos is past chair of the Standing Committee on Operations for the Canadian Gas Association, and has served on the board of directors of Canadian Standards International and the Canadian Standards Association Group. 

Maurice Dusseault

Maurice Dusseault is a Professor of Geological Engineering, Earth and Environmental Sciences Department, University of Waterloo, teaching rock mechanics and oil production methods.  He carries out research in geomechanics in mining and oil and gas development, hydraulic fracturing, shale gas, oil production technologies, and deep waste disposal technologies using hydrofracturing.  Current interests include CO₂ sequestration, hydraulic fracturing, biosolids injection, leaky oil and gas wells, and thermo-hydraulic-mechanical coupling issues.  He has co-authored two textbooks about and 500 full text articles and works with industry and governments as an advisor and professional instructor.  The Petroleum Geomechanics Commission of the International Society for Rock Mechanics was formed in October 2011, and his involvement as its president is intended to develop this area of rock mechanics.

Beth Parker

Beth Parker, Ph.D. is a Professor at the School of Engineering and Director of the G360 Centre for Applied Groundwater Research at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. She has been awarded the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Industrial Chair in Fractured Rock Contaminant Hydrogeology since 2007. She has more than 30 years of experience investigating subsurface contamination at numerous sites around the world using high resolution data sets for site conceptual model development and testing. Her current research activities emphasize developing improved field and laboratory methods for characterizations and monitoring of industrial contaminants in sedimentary rocks, clayey deposits and sandy aquifers, and focus on the effects of diffusion in low permeability zones, plume attenuation and hydrogeologic controls on remediation. She is currently involved in research and technology demonstration projects at Superfund and RCRA facilities in the United States and similar sites in Canada, Europe and Brazil. She also received the 2009 John Hem Award from the Association of Groundwater Scientists and Engineers of the United States National Groundwater Association. Currently, she serves as a member of the Canadian Council of Academies Panel on the Environmental Impacts of Shale Gas Development. 

Richard Jackson

Richard Jackson is a registered Professional (Geological) Engineer in both Ontario and British Columbia.  He obtained his PhD in 1979 at the University of Waterloo and completed a 15 year career with Environment Canada by becoming Chief of the Ground-Water Contamination Project at the National Water Research Institute in Burlington, Ontario. He then joined INTERA in Austin, Texas in 1989, where he worked on methods of enhanced oil recovery for groundwater cleanup. He returned to Canada in 2006 as a Principal with Geofirma Engineering Ltd. of Ottawa, Ontario, based in Waterloo, Ontario. He was task leader for geochemistry and petrophysics during the characterization of sedimentary rocks beneath the Bruce Nuclear site near Kincardine, Ontario for the Deep Geological Repository. He was awarded the 2008 Geoenvironmental Award of the Canadian Geotechnical Society and gave the invited 2008 Farvolden Lecture at the University of Waterloo.   

Panel 2 Speakers

Zhongwei Chen 

Zhongwei Chen is an Assistant Professor with the Chemical Engineering Department and director of the Applied Nanomaterials and Clean Energy Lab. Dr. Chen has received various honours and awards for his research and studies.  His work involves the understanding of proton-exchange membranes and electrode catalysts in fuel cells; improving efficient and reducing their costs. Hydrogen and methanol fuelled proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells have shown great promise for powering vehicles, homes and portable electronics.  Dr. Chen's lab is working on the two main components of fuel cells, the electrocatalysts and the proton exchange membrane.  His research in nano materials is directed towards the synthesis and functionality of nanostructured materials of carbon, metal and metal oxides.  His work in composite membranes for water treatment & separation is developing a polymer-zeolite composite membrane for water purification with higher water permeability, improved contaminant selectivity and better fouling resistance.

Rob Harvey 

Rob Harvey is Director, Energy Storage at Hydrogenics.  In this role he works closely with utilities, regulators and associations to refine business models and define the customer requirements for Power-to-Gas, a large scale energy conversion and storage process using hydrogen.   Rob is also responsible for internal sales support as the company develops P2G markets globally using its PEM electrolyser technology.  A former Principal with PHB Hagler Bailly and energy consultant with Oliver Wyman, Rob has worked with several leading North American electric utilities, as well as startup biogas and waste-to-energy ventures, in the areas of strategic analysis and business planning.  Rob graduated from the University of Waterloo in Systems Design Engineering and has a MBA from Regent University in Virginia.  He is a member of Professional Engineers Ontario and Vice Chair of the Ontario Energy Storage Alliance.

Michael Fowler

Michael Fowler is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering. Dr. Fowler is a member of the Ontario Fuel Cell Research and Innovation Network. This network is working towards overcoming the technical roadblocks to realizing the full economic and environmental benefits of implementing (stationary and portable) fuel cell power technologies. He collaborates with numerous industrial and government partners. His primary research interest lies in the design and performance of fuel cell stacks and systems. This includes modeling of fuel cell system reliability, and research into potential failure modes and causes experienced in fuel cells stacks. His research also studies the reliability and failure modes in a fuel cell, including the development and testing of polymeric materials, given the essential role polymers play in fuel cells as the electrolyte, gas diffusion layer, and bipolar plate materials. The development and application of low cost conductive polymers is important in fuel cell and many other applications, and thus there is an interest in blending of polymers with carbon and other material for increased conductivity.