TEAM
STAFF
Founder and Executive Director
Dr. Thomas Homer-Dixon’s research focuses on threats to global security in the 21st century, including economic instability, climate change, and energy scarcity. He also studies how people, organizations, and societies can better resolve their conflicts and innovate in response to complex problems.
Research Director
Dr. Scott Janzwood leads the development and management of the Cascade Institute's research projects. His own research focuses on how scientists and policymakers communicate uncertainty and collaborate to address global catastrophic risks such as climate change, pandemics, and other emerging threats. Scott holds a PhD in Global Governance from the University of Waterloo.
Gabriela Vieyra
Operations Associate
Dr. Gabriela (Gaby) Vieyra manages the Cascade Institute's office and administrative systems. She has been an educator for almost 23 years as an instructor, department director and curriculum designer. Gaby holds a PhD in Humanistic Studies and is currently completing her Masters of Environment and Management at Royal Roads University.
FELLOWS
Postdoctoral Fellow | Polycrisis Project Research Lead
Dr. Michael Lawrence is the Research Lead of the Polycrisis Project. He uses complexity science to understand the coevolution of conflict, violence, and social structure, and through this work he has developed expertise on global governance, societal collapse, the psychology of dehumanization, transnational organized crime, and peacebuilding. Mike holds a PhD in Global Governance from the University of Waterloo.
Ellen Quigley
Senior Fellow
Dr. Ellen Quigley is a member of the Ultradeep Geothermal Project Team. She is the Special Advisor to the Chief Financial Officer (Responsible Investment) at the University of Cambridge and a Senior Research Associate in Climate Risk and Sustainable Finance at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (CSER). Ellen holds a PhD in Economic Education from the University of Cambridge.
Ian Graham
Senior Fellow
Dr. Ian Graham is a member of the Ultradeep Geothermal Project Team. A former IT and business consultant, he has held management and leadership positions at the Bank of Montreal, University of Toronto, and small Toronto-based startups, as well as research positions with the National Research Council. Ian holds a PhD in Physics from McGill University.
Sherry Stevenson
Associate Director, National Dialogue on Canada's Futures
Sherry Stevenson leads the National Dialogue on Canada's Futures. She is an experienced adult educator and community development professional with a passion for social and environmental justice, community-based initiatives for social impact, progressive policy, and the removal of barriers to opportunity. She holds an M.A. in Adult Education with a specialization in Community Development from Saint Francis Xavier University.
SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD
Featured Members
Johan Rockström
Scientific Advisory Board Member
Professor Dr. Johan Rockström is the Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Professor in Earth System Science at the University of Potsdam. He helped lead the internationally renowned team of scientists that developed the planetary boundaries framework.
Vanessa Schweizer
Scientific Advisory Board Member
Dr. Vanessa Schweizer is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Knowledge Integration at the University of Waterloo. She is the Associate Director of the Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation and sits on the Council of the Society for Risk Analysis. Her socioeconomic research focuses on strategic foresight and opportunities for resilient transitions, both globally and locally.
Frances Westley
Scientific Advisory Board Member
Dr. Frances Westley is Professor and Director Emeritus at the Waterloo Institute on Social Innovation and Resilience at the University of Waterloo. She is a renowned scholar and consultant in the areas of social innovation, strategies for sustainable development, strategic change, visionary leadership, and inter-organizational collaboration.
Jonathan Leader Maynard
Scientific Advisory Board Member
Dr. Jonathan Leader Maynard is a Lecturer in International Politics in the Department of Political Economy at King’s College London. His core research focuses on the role of ideology in political violence, mass atrocities and armed conflict.
![Jennifer Welsh-Max Bell School[1] (1)](https://cascadeinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/Jennifer-Welsh-Max-Bell-School1-1-circle.jpg "Jennifer Welsh-Max Bell School[1] (1)")
Jennifer M. Welsh
Scientific Advisory Board Member
Dr. Jennifer M. Welsh is the Canada 150 Research Chair in Global Governance and Security at McGill University and a Senior Research Fellow at Somerville College at the University of Oxford. From 2013-2016, she served as the Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, on the Responsibility to Protect.
Angela V. Carter
Scientific Advisory Board Member
Dr. Angela Carter is an Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science and Balsillie School of International Affairs at the University of Waterloo, and also as an Energy Transitions Specialist at the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). Her research focuses on environmental policies and politics surrounding Canadian fossil fuel development and on new international approaches to climate policy.
AFFILIATED RESEARCHERS
Jinelle Piereder
Doctoral Researcher
Jinelle Piereder is a doctoral candidate in global governance at the Balsillie School of International Affairs. Jinelle uses complexity science and network theory to study the relationships between worldviews and social networks, especially in emerging and rapidly evolving areas of governance, such as climate change and energy transition.
Tom Deligiannis
Affiliated Researcher
Dr. Tom Deligiannis is a Lecturer in Global Studies at Wilfred Laurier University and is a global expert on environmental conflict. His research explores the conflict impacts of human induced environmental and demographic change.
Norman Kearney
Postdoctoral Researcher
Dr. Norman Kearney is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) at the University of Bern. His research identifies leverage points for sustainability transformation using modeling tools like cross-impact balance (CIB) analysis. He holds a PhD in Social and Ecological Sustainability from the University of Waterloo.
Michelle Lee
Doctoral Researcher
Michelle Lee is pursuing her doctorate at the University of Waterloo’s School of Public Health and Health Systems, specializing in health information systems, global policy, and health governance in low and middle-income countries.
