Teri Balser, Ph.D.
Director and Co-FounderTeri is a dedicated scholar and university leader. Formerly Provost and Vice-president (Academic) at the University of Calgary, she has also been interim President and Provost at Dalhousie University, Dean of Teaching and Learning for Science and Engineering in Australia, and Dean of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Florida. Internationally known as an educator, she has received numerous awards and recognition for her work in soil and environmental science. Throughout her career she has sought to connect and empower people across sectors in working together toward a sustainable future — with a current focus on building equitable and participatory governance models and fostering the leadership needed to move us toward preferred futures.
Joseli Macedo, Ph.D.
Co-FounderJoseli is an educator, architect, urbanist, and designer. With a wide range of experience leading interdisciplinary programs in Canada, Australia, Brazil, India, and the United States, Joseli has taught and conducted research in regenerative cities, sustainable urban design, and international development planning for 30 years. She is the author of several publications on sustainability, city design, urban ecology, land tenure, housing policy, urban planning history, and pedagogy. At the University of Calgary, she is Professor of Urban Design and SDSN Canada’s Co-Chair for Research and Education.
Paniz Mousavi Samimi
Co-FounderPaniz is a PhD candidate at the University of Calgary with over a decade of research and professional experience. Her work explores the affective dimensions of restorative housing for marginalized children, with an emphasis on participatory and trauma-informed care approaches, bridging the fields of environmental design, psychology, and social equity. She is also the lead researcher for the Calgary site of the Quality in Canada’s Built Environment K–12 Design Education Initiative. Across her work, this reflects a collective duty of care spanning research, practice, and pedagogy—shaping future generations through both environment and education.
SFL network
Connections and Collaborators
Behind everything we do is a team of people who truly care. We bring our full selves to the table; open-minded, collaborative, and ready to make something great.
Tony Andenoro, Ph.D.
Director of Community Engagement & Programming
Tony is a leadership scholar and practitioner whose work advances regenerative, human-centered approaches to systems change across education, healthcare, business, and government. He bridges research and practice to help communities and organizations navigate complexity, cultivate innovation, and align action with values in pursuit of more just and sustainable futures. His scholarship explores moral decision-making, cognitive diversity, and the application of behavioral science to complex social challenges, with more than $15 million in funded initiatives supporting leadership and community impact. Tony also partners with mission-driven organizations to translate future-oriented ideas into practical strategies that strengthen leadership capacity and collective resilience.
Jasmine Palardy
Founder of The Good Future Collective
Jasmine is a community builder who specializes in innovative engagement methods that encourage imagination and collaboration. Her career has been spent balancing the worlds of innovation, tech and design to bring diverse groups together to envision and build better places - from innovation districts to main streets, parks, alleys, higher education labs, cultural institutions and more. She is the founder of The Good Future Collective.
Parul Dhami (former member)
TBTF Marketing Strategist
Parul is a Marketing Strategist and data enthusiast with over eight years of experience in sales and business development, supported by a background in software development. As part of the Take Back the Future initiative, she focused on transforming business development strategies through data-driven insights and purposeful storytelling. Her work sits at the intersection of marketing, analytics, and technology, enabling evidence-based decision-making and meaningful audience engagement. She is passionate about using data to translate sustainability challenges into actionable strategies that support climate action and future-ready communities.
Community Fellows
Humaira Waqar
Humaira is interested in the relationships between people, place, and the systems that shape how we understand and inhabit the world. Her journey has taken her across countries and communities, from Pakistan and a fellowship with Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD), to post-secondary education in Canada and learning from Indigenous Elders. Her interests span culture, soil, cities, human behaviour, and the ways perspectives shape our understanding of the environments we create and inhabit. Her recent story, Mitti Raazdan (the Knowledge Keepers of the Soil), featured in the anthology, The Fires We Lit, explores these connections through imagination, place, and land-based knowledge.
Picture yourself here!
We welcome engagement with community members, students and scholars interested in contributing to a global transdisciplinary knowledge network committed to making a better future. Let us know if you have ideas or interest!
graduate Research SCHOLARS
Heather Clitheroe
Heather Clitheroe is a PhD student in the Department of English at the University of Calgary. A professional science fiction and fantasy author and editor, she co-edited the Manufactured Ecosystems. Heather teaches creative writing with University of Calgary Continuing Education, and leads a popular teen writing program with the Calgary Public Library. She has collaborated with Telus Spark and the Beakerhead science festival. Heather received a University of Calgary Teaching Award in 2024, and was nominated for a SSHRC Talent Award in 2026. Her research asks how science fiction can be used in support of public science literacy and STEM engagement.
Jennifer Makar
Jennifer Makar works for the City of Calgary (Climate and Environment) as Leader of Environmental Programs. Jen is joining the Sustainable Futures Lab as a Ph.D. student working on water and water governance starting in fall, 2026. We are so excited! Stay tuned for more about Jen soon…
Noor Ahmad Darwish
Noor Ahmad Darwish is currently a PhD Candidate in Security and Strategic Studies at the Center for Military, Security and Strategic Studies (CMSS). His doctoral research examines Afghanistan, China, and regional geopolitical and economic networks, focusing on how great-power competition shapes institutional development and economic integration in fragile states.
Before beginning his doctoral studies, Noor served as Deputy Minister at Afghanistan’s Ministry of Higher Education, where he led seven directorates and oversaw operational and financial governance for 39 public universities. He also served as Program Director of a USD 55 million World Bank–funded Higher Education Development Program (HEDP), leading nationwide institutional reform, strengthening faculty development and quality assurance systems, expanding women’s access to higher education, and supporting major university infrastructure initiatives.
Noor joins the Sustainable Futures lab as our first Global Leadership Scholar and is an important part of our emerging work in leadership development for post-collapse futures and global postsecondary leadership.
Undergraduate Research Associates
Madison Zoback is a Biological Sciences student at the University of Calgary with interests in plant biology, ecology, and conservation. Her research experience includes work as a research assistant focused on wildlife health and conservation in the Amazon. As an Undergraduate Research Associate in the Sustainable Futures Lab, she will investigate microplastic distribution and composition in soils with increasing distance from Calgary to the Rocky Mountains.
Sukhman Waraich is a Biological Sciences student at the University of Calgary with interests in environmental health, sustainability, and the connections between environmental systems and community well-being. Her research experience spans biomolecular design through BIOMOD and environmental health research and science communication through the Children’s Environmental Health Clinic. As an Undergraduate Research Associate in the Sustainable Futures Lab, she will continue to explore water governance, climate resilience, and water justice through a systems-thinking approach, with a focus on their impacts on communities.
Krish Barpaga is a Biological Sciences student at the University of Calgary with interests in human and environmental health, particularly the connections between environmental systems and community health. His academic and research interests focus on understanding how environmental and social factors influence health outcomes. As an Undergraduate Research Associate in the Sustainable Futures Lab, he will explore the interconnected relationships between water governance and accessibility, climate resilience, and community health and well-being.
Sarah Khalifa is a Plant Biology undergraduate student at the University of Calgary with research experience spanning plant science, biotechnology, sustainability, and education. Her work has included research on inclusive and ethical uses of generative artificial intelligence in science education, as well as interdisciplinary approaches to plant identification and engagement within the University of Calgary’s built environment. Across her work, she is interested in bridging plant biology, emerging technologies, sustainability, and science communication to create accessible and meaningful connections between research, education, and the environment.
Shahrear Morshed is a Biological Sciences student at the University of Calgary with diverse interests in human health, medicine, climate change, ecosystems, and community well-being. He is particularly interested in understanding how scientific research can address real-world challenges and contribute to healthier, more sustainable communities. His previous research experience at the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health involved using opportunistic CT scans to identify, grade, and label vertebral fractures for the development of a machine-learning model capable of detecting these fractures. Through this work, he developed experience in medical imaging analysis, research communication, and presenting scientific findings at three research symposiums. As an Undergraduate Research Associate in the Sustainable Futures Lab, Shahrear will use satellite imagery and geographic information system mapping to compare snow-cover persistence across Calgary’s parks, residential communities, and highly developed areas. By combining snow-cover maps with existing data on tree canopy, land use, and urban surface temperature, his research will explore which features of Calgary’s urban landscape are associated with faster snow disappearance. Outside of academics and research, Shahrear enjoys producing music and songwriting, travelling, working out, and spending time with friends.
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