Meet the team

Dr. Jon Thomas, Director, EFCIE
BC Regional Innovation Chair in Canada-India Partnership Development, UFV
Associate Professor, School of Business

Dr. Jon Thomas is the Director of the Esposito Family Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (EFCIE), and the BC Regional Innovation Chair in Canada-India Partnership Development at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV). He is an Associate Professor (Innovation & Entrepreneurship) at the UFV School of Business. Prior to joining UFV, Jon was a post-doctoral researcher and taught in the Technology MBA program at Simon Fraser University. He also held a Mitacs Elevate Post-doctoral fellowship funded by SFU Beedie and CDRD Ventures, Inc. (UBC). Jon holds a PhD in Technology Management and Strategy from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, along with an MBA, and an undergraduate degree in Statistics. He received an AICTE National Doctoral Fellowship for his doctoral research on innovation in the biotechnology sector in India.

Jon has provided innovation and entrepreneurship mentoring to students, post-doctoral fellows, scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs for two decades in Canada and India. His interdisciplinary research has been published in Nature Nanotechnology, Technovation, Journal of Engineering & Technology Management, Scientometrics, and the Journal of Cleaner Production, among others. His research on science-based venture emergence is part of the curriculum used to develop the entrepreneurial capabilities of academic scientists across Canada.  

He is regularly invited to speak on innovation and entrepreneurship topics, and he is keenly interested in the pre-formation and early post-formation stages of venture emergence, particularly from university settings.

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Dr. Opeyemi Adesina, Assistant Professor, School of Computing

Opeyemi is an Assistant Professor in the School of Computing at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV). He teaches computer programming (with languages like Java, Python), software engineering (using UML – Unified Modeling Language and Umple), and other courses like Coding Best Practices.

His primary research interest includes the use of formal methods (e.g., theorem proving, model checking, and static analysis) and model-driven engineering for the purpose of engineering quality into and the certification of complex, modern-day systems (e.g., safety-critical, robotics, artificial intelligence). Specifically, he develops methods, techniques, and technologies that facilitate the use of ‘the duo’ in the development of modern-day systems. Under his supervision at UFV, a group of students developed a novel algorithm (exploiting priority) for a local industrial partner on the use of optimization to minimize makespan and idle time. This in-turn resulted in profitability as more jobs could be done with similar resources. Another student developed a mobile application for a not-for-profit organization (Fraser Valley Child Development Centre - FVCDC) in the Fraser Valley, resulting in improved accessibility to their services.

At EFCIE, Opeyemi envisions continuing this mentorship effort with the goal of providing solutions to local and global problems with far-reaching economic and societal impacts, conducting cutting-edge research, and collaborating with other faculties and practitioners in the industry. 

Dr. Michael Corman, Assistant Professor, Sociology

Michael Corman is an Assistant Professor (Sociology) in the Department of Social, Cultural, and Media Studies and affiliated with the Centre for Education and Research on Aging at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV). Prior to coming to UFV, he was fortunate to hold teaching/research positions in Canada, Qatar, and the United Kingdom; travelling around the world and being able to teach sociology and conduct research in a diversity of contexts has been one of the highlights of his career.

Dr. Corman's research and teaching interests include the sociological study of health and illness, the family, aging, health and caregiving work, information and communication technologies, health professions education, mental health and resiliency, and qualitative research methods. Since 2012, he has participated on a variety of research projects, with his research appearing in Perspectives on Medical Education, Social Theory & Health, Symbolic Interaction, The Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, Qualitative Health Research, the International Journal of Educational Research, Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, and the International Journal of Social Sciences. He recently published a book through the University of Toronto Press entitled, Paramedics on and off the streets: Emergency medical services in the age of technological governance.

Dr. Longlong Huang, Associate Professor, Mathematics & Statistics

Dr. Longlong Huang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV). After completing her Ph.D. in Statistics at the University of Calgary, she held a post-doctoral researcher position at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, prior to joining the faculty at UFV. Longlong’s research interests include survival analysis, variable selection in high dimensional data, generalized linear/additive models and mixed models, non/semi-parametric regression, and statistical applications in public health research. Dr. Longlong aims to foster research and training interactions centred in statistical sciences that span disciplines and institutions to tackle real-world applications in science, engineering, health, and society, etc.

Karin Jager, Associate Professor, Visual Communications

Karin Jager is a design educator, creative leader and advocate for the design profession. Karin joined the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) in 2012 to launch the region’s premier graphic and digital design programs. Recently, she led the development of UFV’s Graphic and Digital Design Major in the BFA. The program emphasizes cross-disciplinary learning and T-shaped competencies, and a wide range of work experience options. Karin holds a Master’s Degree in Education, majoring in post-secondary leadership from Simon Fraser University and has a strong foundation in critical thinking from her undergraduate studies at Emily Carr College of Art and Design.

Through her research interests in graphic design as an emerging academic discipline, she developed an extensive study on graphic design education in Canada. Currently, she is immersed in professional and design education communities and is active in a design incubation scholarly writing group. Karin served the Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC) as VP Education National from 2012–2014 and regularly participates as an expert reviewer of design programs in Ontario, British Columbia (DQAB), and Alberta (CAQC).

Motivated by what design can do, she values the student experience. She brings community-focused learning into the classroom, informed by a robust professional network built through her 25-year design practice in corporate communications and social design.

Karin aims to help facilitate opportunities in EFCIE for students, faculty and business to engage collaboratively in purpose-built and values-driven opportunities within the Fraser Valley through participatory research, outreach, workshops, professional connections and events. Participatory research methods such as design thinking support economic and social innovation.

Dr. Saeed Rahman, Assistant Professor, School of Business

As the faculty advisor to Enactus UFV, Saeed mentors students in the development and implementation of social entrepreneurship projects that positively impact our local communities. He completed his PhD in 2019 from UVic’s Gustavson School of Business. His PhD dissertation study focuses on the intersection of organization theory, strategic management, sustainability, and social innovation, and was supported  by a SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship, valued at $40,000 for two years (2017-19). His paper, “Reverse Innovation: Understanding the Bottom-Up Process of Knowledge Creation and Transfer within Global  Multinationals,” was nominated for a Best Paper Award at the 2017 Academy of International Business (AIB) Annual Meeting in the Emerging Economies Research Division. 

At EFCIE, Saeed will help to create linkages among UFV students, faculty, local community, and business leaders for conducting applied research, providing mentorship, and organizing networking events. 

Dr. Kirsten Robertson, Associate Professor, School of Business

Dr. Kirsten Robertson is an Associate Professor of Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources in the School of Business at the University of the Fraser Valley. She holds a Ph.D. in Management and Organization Studies from Simon Fraser University. Her research explores how to develop positive and inclusive workplaces where individuals can flourish, with a focus on work meaningfulness, work-life balance, and workplace interactions. She has published her research in leading management journals including Academy of Management Review, Journal of Management Studies, Academy of Management Discoveries, and Journal of Organizational Behavior.

Dr. Robertson is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach and brings to the EFCIE a passion for helping individuals and teams mobilize their natural talents into workplace strengths. She has developed two upper-level courses designed to help students identify and use their strengths to achieve their academic and workplace goals.

Dr.  Bosu Seo, Associate Professor, Economics

Bosu is a Fulbright scholar and holds a Ph.D. in Applied Economics from the University of Minnesota. Before joining the Department, he did a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in CIHR Primary Care Oncology Network at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba and was a research associate at the Division of Continuing Professional Development, University of Manitoba.

His recent research explores the economics of cancer survivorship, labor market outcomes, and settlement issue of immigrants and refugees. He has published his research in leading economics and medicine journals, including Health Economics, Journal of Oncology Practice, and International Review of Applied Economics.

Dr. Bosu Seo brings to the EFCIE a passion for collaborating with scholars and students and a macroeconomic approach to analyzing the relationship between innovation and international development. 

Dr. Amir Shabani, Assistant Professor, School of Computing

Dr. Amir Shabani is directing the Interactive Intelligent Systems and Computing research team which is looking at the advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Computer Vision, Robotics, Intern of Things (IoT), and Augmented Reality (AR) for applications in Smart City initiatives including Health Care, Energy, Automation, and Education. More specifically, his current projects include deep learning for affective computing with social companion robots, personalized machine learning in physiotherapy rehabilitation, indoor positioning and contact tracing, augmented collaborative workspace of industry 4.0, and human-centered automation for smart spaces and intelligent buildings.

Prior to joining UFV, Dr. Shabani had been an NSERC Industrial Research Chair for Colleges (IRCC) for Smart Connected Buildings to focus on the development of AI and big data technologies in human-centered intelligent system designs as a core of a Smart City. Between 2012-2019, Amir has secured funding from NSERC, Ontario Center of Excellence, MITACS, FedDev and private companies, exceeding over $1M as Principal Investigator (PI) and more as a Co-PI.

Amir completed his PhD in Machine Learning and Computer Vision at the University of Waterloo. Dr. Shabani has been invited to present his research at Stanford University, Queen-Mary University of London, University of Toronto, University of Ottawa, and Ryerson University. Prior to his PhD, Dr. Shabani worked in job-sharing international projects in the field of industrial automation and robotics (Industry 4.0). During this six years (2000-2006), Amir worked on several multi-million dollar projects with automation companies from Germany, France, Italy, UK, and South Korea.

Dr. Shabani is an active consultant and welcomes industry collaboration and applied R&D projects that requires expertise in Computing and Mechatronics & Electronics Engineering (P.Eng.)

Dr. Omer Waqar, Assistant Professor, School of Computing

Omer Waqar received the B.Sc. degree from the University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Lahore, Pakistan, in 2007 and the Ph.D. degree in electrical and electronic engineering from the University of Leeds, UK (a public university of the prestigious Rusell group) in November 2011.

Since August 2023, he has been working as an Assistant Professor in the School of Computing, University of the Fraser Valley, BC, Canada and holds an adjunct faculty position at York University, Ontario, Canada. He has authored or co-authored 35+ peer-reviewed articles including top-tier journals such as IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology and IEEE Wireless Communications Letters. As per Google scholar, his research works got 400+ citations. He has secured over CA $200K in research grants from the Tri-Council agency of Canada i.e., NSERC Discovery Grant, Alliance grant and International Catalyst Grant. 

Dr. Thillai Rajan, Professor

Thillai Rajan is a Professor in the Department of Management Studies and Head of the Centre for Research on Start-ups and Risk Financing (CREST), an Institute of Eminence Research Centre at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. His research interests encompass start-ups, ventures, and SMEs. During 2009 – 18, he edited the annual India Venture Capital and Private Equity Report. In 2020, he played a key role in the formation of innovation, Venturing, and Entrepreneurship in India Network (iVEIN), a multi-institutional consortium to research on innovation and venturing in India. He is also a co-founder of YNOS Venture Engine, a start-up set up to address the pain points of early stage entrepreneurs. From 2017 – 2022, he was also an Associate at the Mossavar Rahmani Center for Business and Government, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University. Between Aug – Dec 2022, he hosted India’s First LIVE chat show on Start-ups, The Start-up Junction, in Doordarshan Tamil, part of the National Broadcasting Network. He has been the recipient of the Fulbright Nehru Senior Research Fellowship, the Endeavour Executive Fellowship of the Government of Australia, and the Chevening Gurukul Fellowship.

Abdul Aziz Abdul Ghafoor recently completed his Bachelor of Kinesiology degree with a specialization in Active Health at the University of the Fraser Valley. He is currently working as a research assistant with Dr. Jon Thomas on a project that is focused on clinician-entrepreneurs in Canada. 

Vaibhav Bector is a final semester student at UFV pursuing a Bachelors degree in Business Administration. Vaibhav is passionate about using his skills to create positive change in the world and is currently working on a research project exploring renewable energy technologies for public transport in Canada and India. His goal is to investigate innovative solutions that will not only promote clean energy but also foster strong relationships between the two nations. In his free time, Vaibhav enjoys playing Football, gaming, and volunteering in multiple Enactus UFV projects. He was also a part of the Enactus UFV team which emerged as a winner of the Enactus Regional Climate Challenge 2023. He is excited to be a part of UFV's Innovation Centre and looks forward to collaborating with like-minded individuals to create a more sustainable future.

Olena Bogdanov, Student Research Assistant, EFCIE

Olena is a fourth-year student working towards a BIS degree in Data Science. She enjoys hiking, tennis, and playing piano. She wants to bridge her background in economics with data science to examine sustainable organizational practices driving smart city development. Olena says “I’m really looking forward to continuing to learn while working alongside all the awesome people at UFV’s Innovation Centre!”

Jordan Evans, Student Research Assistant, EFCIE

Jordan Evans is a Bachelor of Computer Information Systems (BCIS) student at UFV. He is also working as a student research assistant with Dr. Jon Thomas on a project titled “Exploring Innovation in the Fraser Valley.” Jordan is leveraging his technology background to shed new light on Fraser Valley inventors using data from the US Patent Office. He presented preliminary results at the ISPIM Connects Ottawa international conference in April 2019. He has also worked as a software developer for over 6 years, specializing in e-commerce solutions. 

Raman Jawanda, Student, BUS 492 (Directed Studies in Innovation & Entrepreneurship)

Raman is pursuing a BBA (majoring in Human Resource Management) and will graduate in 2021. He is working on a BUS492: Directed Studies in Innovation & Entrepreneurship project titled "Factors Affecting Organizational Innovation."

Jasleen Kaur Sandhu, Student, BUS 492 (Directed Studies in Innovation and Entrepreneurship)

Jasleen is a third-year student in the Bachelor of Computer Information Systems program, investigating emerging opportunities to fight forest fires using geographical information systems.

Trisha Kumar, EFCIE Researcher

Trisha holds an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of the Fraser Valley. She intends to pursue a Master of Science (MSc) in Management to further develop her research skills. Trisha's research experience has led her to explore various areas, including healthcare systems, workplace incivility, and urban agriculture. Currently, she is collaborating with Drs. Jon Thomas and Kirsten Robertson on multiple projects examining the orthodontic industry through an organizational behaviour and management lens. 

Jessica Levesque, President, UFV Student Union Society, Entrepreneur, and Student, BUS 492 (Directed Studies in Innovation & Entrepreneurship)

Jessica Levesque is the current President of the UFV Student Union Society and recently completed her Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in Marketing at the University of the Fraser Valley. Jessica says, "I am so excited to begin the journey of expanding my company Less House, More Home from custom carpentry pieces to a social enterprise focused on Tiny Home community development with mentoring from the Esposito Family Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship."

Balkar Sidhu, Student, BUS 492 (Directed Studies in Innovation & Entrepreneurship)

"I am currently doing my Bachelor of Integrated Studies with a minor in Organizational Studies. I am in my 5th year, as I am close to finishing my journey at UFV. The title of my BUS 492 project is, "Analyzing select aspects of the energy efficient homes industry in British Columbia."