Wilma Leung, Senior Manager, Technical Research & Education, BC Housing
Wilma Leung brings decades of experience in civil and structural engineering, environmental management, government administration, and building design and construction to the BPiBS project. At BC Housing, she leads research and education to systematically improve the quality of residential design and construction. As co-leader of the Mobilizing Building Adaptation and Resilience (MBAR) initiative, she is a recognized innovator and industry leader in energy efficiency and climate resilience for the housing and building sector.
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Dr. Phalguni Mukhopadhyaya, PhD, PEng., FEC, FCSCE, FCAE, Professor (Building Science & Structures), University of Victoria
Dr. Mukhopadhyaya is Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Victoria. His work on building envelopes and structures is at the forefront of energy efficient building innovations and has influenced construction practices across Canada and internationally.
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Dr. Thomas Froese, Professor and Chair of Department of Civil Engineering at University of Victoria
Dr. Froese’s research centers on project and construction management, with particular emphasis on harnessing information and computing technologies to enhance building practices. His work advances methods for assessing and improving the sustainability of building and infrastructure projects across both design and operational phases. As a committed educator, he also contributes to engineering education, equipping future engineers to tackle complex challenges at the intersection of technology, sustainability, and the built environment.
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Madelaine Prince, Futures Impact Designer & Engagement Lead, University of Victoria
With a foundation in engineering and a Master of Design in Strategic Foresight and Innovation, Madelaine brings experience working at the community level as well as with non-profit, government, and private sector organizations. She specializes in community-based design, systems thinking, and strategic foresight. Her work bridges technical complexity with human-centered approaches, ensuring that innovative solutions are problem-driven and create tangible, real-world impact.
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Elisabeth Girgis-McEwen, P.Eng., ing., MA (Public Administration), Strategic Outcomes Lead, University of Victoria
Elisabeth is Senior Manager at the Science and Parliamentary Infrastructure Branch of Public Services and Procurement Canada. She is currently on Interchange to the University of Victoria. As the Strategic Outcomes Lead for the BPiBS project, she brings her expertise bridging engineering precision with policy insight, as well as her experience managing cross-organizational teams on major public initiatives including updates to Canada’s National Building and Energy Codes. She is a member of the Steering Committee for the Ottawa Chapter of the Women’s Infrastructure Network and mentors in numerous forums such as the Rosie Initiative. Elisabeth also hosts the Better Ways to Build in Canada podcast, which is part of the BPiBS project.
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Alex Dekin, Digital Innovation Specialist, University of Victoria
Alex is a Research Associate at the University of Victoria’s Civil Engineering Department. He has over seven years of experience across higher education and applied research, including as a Research Coordinator at Leipzig University of Applied Sciences in Germany. In his role as the Digital Innovation Specialist, he is developing BPiBS’ knowledge database. He brings expertise in Building Information Modeling (BIM) and digital infrastructure for knowledge mobilization, among other topics, to the BPiBS project.
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Rakesh Kumar, Technical Researcher, University of Victoria
Dr. Kumar is a Building System Researcher in the University of Victoria’s Civil Engineering Department. He brings academic expertise and extensive research experience on clean and sustainable energy systems.
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Ariya Kosavisutte, BPiBS and MBAR Co-op Student, BC Housing
Ariya is an undergraduate student at the University of British Columbia, majoring in Psychology and Economics. As a co-op student with BC Housing, she supports the BPiBS project by conducting research focused on circular economies. Her work explores how circular economy principles can be integrated into building construction to enhance sustainability and resilience within the housing sector.
akosavisut@bchousing.org
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Makenzie Pratt, Research Library and MBAR Co-op Student, BC Housing
Makenzie is a master’s student in Library and Information Science at the University of British Columbia. She is a Technical Research Co-op Student with BC Housing, working in the Research Library. With a background in publishing and marketing, she is excited to provide communications, event planning, engagement, and research support to the BPiBS project.
This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada through the Research and Knowledge Initiative (RKI), delivered and supported by Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada to advance housing and infrastructure projects across the country.
Our team works across the unceded territories of many Indigenous Peoples, including the Algonquin Anishinaabe (Ottawa), Mississaugas of the Credit, Haudenosaunee, and Huron-Wendat (Toronto), Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh (Vancouver), kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Coquitlam), lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples (Victoria), and the Tla-o-qui-aht and Nuu-chah-nulth Nations (Tofino).
We recognize that land acknowledgment is not the work itself, but a reminder of our ongoing responsibilities—relational, material, and ethical—to the peoples and places that continue to steward these lands.
We commit to unsettling extractive habits in our work and to walking, with humility, toward deeper accountability.