Shweta Ganapati
Senior Policy Advisor, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC, on extended leave)
Shweta joined NSERC as Mitacs Canadian Science Policy Fellow in 2020. She serves as a Senior Policy Advisor working on international relations and strategic policy in the Strategic, Corporate and Public Affairs directorate. She is currently on extended leave until May 2024. Outside of work, she volunteered as Director of Outreach and Engagement for the Journal of Science Policy and Governance from 2022-23.
Before joining NSERC, Shweta was Program Manager at the Canadian Science Policy Centre (CSPC) where she led several projects, including CSPC’s annual conferences in 2019 and 2020. From 2017 to 2019, Shweta was a Research Scientist at a Maryland based biotech start-up, SD Nanosciences, developing a low-cost, easy to assemble, surfactant based gonococcal vaccine. Shweta has a PhD in Organic and Analytical Chemistry from University of Maryland, USA and a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi, India.

Dr. Taylor Morriseau
DLSPH Indigenous Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Toronto/First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba ; PhD (Vanier Scholar), Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Manitoba
Dr. Morriseau (Peguis First Nation) is a postdoctoral fellow supported by the Waakebiness Institute for Indigenous Health at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. She is working with an interdisciplinary team of academics and community partners within the First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba. Her research aims to support First Nations-led biomedical research by strengthening regional capacity for biobanking and data sovereignty initiatives. She also holds advisory positions with CIHR IHDCYH, Research Canada, and the Native BioData Consortium.

Arthi Ramachandran
Polar Science Advisor at Arctic Basecamp
Arthi Ramachandran was born and raised in Montreal, Canada. She received a Bachelor of Science in Biology and went on to pursue a PhD in Microbial Ecology, both at Concordia University in Montreal. During her graduate studies, she focused on Arctic ecosystems, and conducted research in the Arctic Ocean. She participated in research missions on Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers and at the Canadian High Arctic Research Station in Nunavut. These expeditions allowed her to witness the dramatic effects of climate change in Arctic ecosystems and communities firsthand. Arthi’s research experiences and her involvement with multiple national and international organizations, such as the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists, and Science & Policy Exchange, ultimately led her towards the field of science policy. She worked as a science policy analyst for the Office of the Chief Scientist at Natural Resources Canada and for the Office of the Chief Science Advisor of Canada. She currently works at Arctic Basecamp, a non-profit that speaks science to power, as a Polar Science Advisor building evidence-based immersive narratives about Polar change and global risks.

Moderator
My An Nguyen
My An Nguyen is VP External - Francophonie at SPE. She studied bioethics at the master’s level at Université de Montréal and holds a bachelor's degree in neuroscience from the same institution. She is committed to EDI and civic education, thus hoping to help bring to light the values that underlie our decisions and actions in private, professional, public, and political spheres alike, especially in healthcare and research.