Collective Event
Climate Conversation: Materials in the Sustainability Transition
June 17, 2026, 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
This event is a part of our Climate Conversations, a series to provide informal opportunities to connect with colleagues on pressing climate topics, locally and globally. Registration is not required for this event. However, you can share your email at the bottom of this page to receive an email reminder as well as any updates. For this event, we will meet in the AERL Lobby and move either inside or outside depending on weather. Signage will be available for those arriving after 12:00pm.
As Canada and the world explore the transition to more sustainable future, questions remain about the material resources that are required for such a transition. From the critical minerals required for electrification, to the design of infrastructure that supports mobility and community, join the conversation! The Climate Solutions Research Collective brings together three researchers working at the forefront of these critical issues.
Alexandra Tavasoli, Mechanical Engineering, Applied Science
Alex Tavasoli is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Her research group, the Laboratory of Future Industry (LoFI) studies the design and implementation of emerging sustainable manufacturing processes that make use of alternative or waste feedstocks and low-carbon energy. Prior to joining UBC, Alex’s work focused on passive systems that use solar energy to drive the capture and conversion of carbon dioxide into commodity chemicals. Since joining UBC, she has expanded her work to study battery recycling and sustainable textile production. She is also the Chair of the Board of Directors of Iron and Earth, a non-profit dedicated to supporting the energy transition through worker retraining programs. Alex is a member of the Solar Energy for Net Zero Research Excellence Cluster and an affiliate faculty member at the Centre for Climate Justice.
Deb Chachra is a Professor of Engineering at Olin College of Engineering, outside Boston, Massachusetts, where she was among the earliest faculty members. She is also the author of How Infrastructure Works: Inside the Systems That Shape Our World (Riverhead/Torva, 2023), recognized by Publishers Weekly as a ‘Best Book of 2023’. Her research interests sit at intersections of technology and culture, and she writes, thinks, speaks, builds, consults, collaborates, and facilitates globally, with a focus on infrastructure and the built environment, design, equity and inclusion, and education, particularly in engineering. Her writing has appeared in the Atlantic, Time, the Guardian, and Nature. She appeared on Vox’s “FuturePerfect 2024” list of activists and thinkers working to build a more positive future, and her TED talk on infrastructure can be found online.
Karthik Akkiraju is an Assistant Professor of Materials Engineering. His research program lies at the intersection of materials engineering, computational social science, environmental impact assessment, and public policy. An overarching theme unifies his reserach: To develop a material design framework that delineates material requirements for a good life based within the realms of equitable environmental and societal bounds. Together, these research foci reimagine materials design and resource management through the well-being lens. By establishing material benchmarks that reflect household demand, his research identifies communities facing the most significant material poverty and proposes sustainable material design solutions to meet their needs. The outcomes of this research will help future leaders to prioritize both economic growth as well as social impact within the constraints of material resources.
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