Our Faculty

We are academics, writers, artists, community leaders, scientists, practitioners, and lifelong learners coming together to better understand the pressing issues facing our planet and imagine creative approaches to living well in our places.

  • Dr. Sarah Munawar

    Dr. Sarah Munawar

    Instructor

    Sarah Munawar (She/Her) is a visiting professor at the Elizabeth Rockwell Center on Ethics and Leadership (EDR) at the University of Houston. Having earned a PhD in political science at the University of British Columbia, as a researcher and educator, she advocates for health equity, culturally-safe care and disability justice.

    Course: Health Equity, Disability Justice, and the Politics of Care

  • Serena Alagappan

    Serena Alagappan

    Instructor

    Serena Alagappan received her A.B. in comparative literature and creative writing from Princeton University in 2020. She then studied at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. A recipient of the 2022 New Poets Prize, her pamphlet ‘Sensitive to Temperature’ was published by The Poetry Business under the Smith|Doorstop imprint.

    Workshop: Land, Body & Voice: Writing for Self-expression & Social Justice

  • Nayani Jensen

    Nayani Jensen

    Instructor

    Nayani Jensen is a historian of science, writer, and Rhodes Scholar from Nova Scotia, Canada. Originally a Mechanical Engineer working in climate research, she is interested in merging arts and sciences in interdisciplinary approaches to history, climate and fiction.

    Course: Art & Wonder: How to Talk About Science

  • Matthew Jordan

    Matthew Jordan

    Instructor

    My calling in life is to learn as much as I can, then share those learnings with other people. I’ve done this many different ways: starting a walking tour company, creating university courses, recording podcasts, filming YouTube videos, and delivering exuberant public rants. My academic background is in the history of science and technology.

    Course: How Technology Transforms the World

  • Chiyi Tam

    Chiyi Tam

    Instructor

    Chiyi Tam (she/her) is an urban planner and anti-displacement organizer practicing in Tkaronto's Kensington-Chinatown neighbourhood. She is currently a visiting expert with the School of Cities’ as an Early Career Canadian Urban Leader. Chiyi is the managing director of the recently established Toronto Chinatown Land Trust. Her goal is to reciprocate knowledge and wealth into community ownership.

    Course: Introduction to Community Land Trusts

Our Staff

  • Zehra Naqvi

    Zehra Naqvi

    Founder and Executive Director

  • Zikri Jaafar

    Zikri Jaafar

    Advisor