Funding Winners 2024/2025

Tara McGee

Associate Dean (Access, Community and Belonging), College of Natural and Applied Sciences - Dean's Office

Professor, Faculty of Science - Earth & Atmospheric Sciences

AdminMcGee’s research focuses on individual, community, and organizational responses to wildfires, and other environmental hazards. Her research program includes research on wildfire prevention, mitigation, preparedness, and wildfire evacuations

Research

Advancing Inclusion and Equity for Wildfire Evacuees in Alberta

McGee’s research will focus on the experiences of equity deserving groups during wildfire evacuations in Albertan communities. Through semi-structured interviews and key

informant interviews, McGee’s team will enhance the understanding of the needs, challenges, and aspirations of equity-deserving groups in order to inform protocols and services. Additionally, the research will contribute to the growing body of literature on environmental justice, inclusion, and equity in disaster contexts.

Sven Anders

Professor, Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sci - Resource Economics & Environmental Sociology

Anders is an agricultural economist with research and teaching interests in the economics of food systems, supply chains and agri-food trade. Anders has a keen interest in the economics of certification systems and labelling as they relate to food standards in international agri-food marketing and trade.

Research

Peaceful coexistence - Land use conflicts and the future of renewable energy in Alberta

Ander’s research will focus on the tension between the development of energy infrastructure and food production on agricultural land in Alberta. His team will assess perceptions, preferences and policy options to support the development of agrovoltaics in Alberta.

Bruno Wichmann

Associate Professor, Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sci - Resource Economics & Environmental Sociology

Wichmann’s research interests are primarily in the fields of environmental economics, social networks, health economics, and experimental economics.

Research

Wildfire vulnerability and socioeconomic resilience in Alberta communities

In response to Alberta’s increasing challenges with wildfire, Wichmann’s research will measure socioeconomic impacts and examine the factors that influence a community’s capacity to absorb or recover socioeconomic status in the aftermath of wildfires and wildfire evacuation orders.

Eran Kaplinsky (micro grant)

Professor, Faculty of Law - Admin

Eran Kaplinsky teaches in the areas of property law and planning law. His teaching and research interests include land use planning and regulation, law and economics, municipal law, and property law.

Research

A Guide to Property Rights in Alberta (2025)

Building on his ALI funded “A Guide to Property Rights in Alberta (2012),” Kaplinsky and co author, David Percy, will be updating the guide. The updated guide will reflect legal developments to the impact of property rights on land use planning and regulation and on energy development (including renewable energy), including new legislation and new case law from the Supreme Court of Canada.

Emmanuel Mapfumo 

(micro grant)

Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sci - Renewable Resources Dept
Associate Professor, Concordia University

Mapfumo conducts environmental research in areas such as hydrology, contaminant remediation and statistics. Through his research, Mapfumo has collaborated with government, industry and academic institutions.

Research

Impacts of Range Road 70 wildfire on soil biological health and soil water repellency

Mapfumo’s research will focus on the effect of wildfire on soil health and soil water repellency. Since the impacts of wildfires vary spatially depending on the burn severity and environmental conditions, understanding how burn severity affects soil health and soil water repellency will inform the use of organic amendments application to enhance soil health recovery and faster regrowth of vegetation. Mafumo will be looking at the effects of burn severity of the RR70 wildfire on soil biological health indicators sensitive to land disturbances.