Transdisciplinary Contacts
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ITS Team
Our team is keen to assist you in helping to advance your transdisciplinary scholarship initiatives.
Steven Bryant, Ph.D.
Academic Lead, Transdisciplinary Scholarship
steven.bryant@ucalgary.ca
In his role as Academic Lead for Transdisciplinary Scholarship, Dr. Steven Bryant oversees collaboration and innovation activities to advance transdisciplinary research and scholarship at UCalgary. Holding the University's first inaugural Canada Excellence Research Chair in Materials Engineering, he has dedicated his research and strategy efforts to climate applications in energy. He was previously the University of Texas's Bank of America Centennial Professor in the Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering. Prior to academia, Steven spent a decade working in industry research centers in Europe. He has published over 360 times on applications in production and reservoir engineering, formation evaluation, and CO2 storage. In 2021, he was the recipient of the Society of Petroleum Engineers Sustainability and Stewardship in the Oil and Gas Industry award.
Mariska Span-Smeelen
Manager, Transdisciplinary Scholarship
mspansme@ucalgary.ca
Mariska Span-Smeelen is the Manager for Transdisciplinary Scholarship. She has a strong foundation in research administration and facilitation, a master's degree in industrial and organizational psychology from Radboud University in Nijmegen (NL), and expertise overseeing large-scale research projects. Mariska believes transdisciplinary scholarship holds the key to creating meaningful and sustainable impact on the challenges faced by our world and society.
Alanna Bartolini
Senior Specialist, Transdisciplinary Scholarship
(Digital Worlds)
alanna.bartolini@ucalgary.ca
Alanna Bartolini is the Senior Specialist for Digital Worlds and a digital humanities expert following PhD training at UC Santa Barbara. A former executive director of a nonprofit and co-author of a bill (now a law) to prevent sexual violence on campuses in California, she also brings with her legal expertise. Alanna believes data obtained through transdisciplinary work is essential for telling stories, enabling us to see trends, and providing a detailed view of the bigger picture to help solve problems.
Alya Jinah
Senior Specialist, Transdisciplinary Scholarship
(Democracy, Justice, and Sustainability)
alya.jinah2@ucalgary.ca
Alya Jinah is the Senior Specialist for Democracy, Justice, and Sustainability. Her education and career have enabled her to collaborate with individuals from many fields including business, engineering, healthcare, and education. Alya was also a member of the team that launched the Creative Destruction Lab – Rockies (CDL). Leading her work with a curious mind and love for learning, she excels at creating frameworks for transdisciplinary collisions to occur, while cultivating a dynamic of inclusion, equity, and belonging.
Rineem Saleh
Senior Specialist, Transdisciplinary Scholarship
(Cities and Societies)
rineem.saleh@ucalgary.ca
Rineem Saleh joined UCalgary as the Senior Specialist focusing on our Cities and Societies component following her MSc research at KU Leuven looking at how City Foundations impact bigger-picture issues and negotiations within international politics. Her focus in transdisciplinary work is on how it is distinctively social, creative, and uses increasingly relevant approaches, extending communication not only across academia, industry, and even borders.
Connie Tsang
Senior Specialist, Transdisciplinary Scholarship
(Energy Futures)
cyftsang@ucalgary.ca
Connie Tsang is the Senior Specialist in the Energy Futures portfolio. Her career spans many industries including government, energy and education. Connie has held positions in policy, natural gas forecasting and trading, profit and loss reporting and change management, and development services. She believes that as society advances, and new technologies are invented, transdisciplinary research is key in providing different perspectives to reach the next level.
Jasmeen Saini-Rai
Senior Specialist, Transdisciplinary Scholarship
(Health and Life)
jasmeen.sainirai@ucalgary.ca
Jasmeen Saini-Rai, a Senior Specialist in Health and Life with a PhD in Neuroscience, brings a unique blend of expertise in neuroscience and healthcare that enables her to collaborate across diverse fields, including scientific research, healthcare, academia, industry, and community partnerships. Driven by a commitment to bridging disciplines, Jasmeen excels in creating environments where collaboration and diverse perspectives lead to impactful health solutions, fostering a strong sense of purpose and community.
Calla Novello-Lauritsen
Senior Specialist, Strategic Marketing and Communications (Transdisciplinary Scholarship)
calla.novellolaurits@ucalgary.ca
Calla Novello-Lauritsen is responsible for communication and engagement planning and implementation for the Transdisciplinary Scholarship initiative, and to help strengthen our focus on transdisciplinary scholarship by engaging existing units and teams to build awareness and increase collaboration across all disciplines.