Plenary Speakers
We’re excited to announce our confirmed plenary lineup for the SETAC North America 47th Annual Meeting in Montreal. Each morning will begin with a thought-provoking talk by distinguished leaders.
Jennifer Grenz
One Planet, Many Relations: Integrating Ways of Knowing for Environmental Decision-Making
Grenz’s talk will draw on her book “Medicine Wheel for the Planet,” where she reframes the environmental crisis as a result of fractured relationships between people, land, and governance systems. Grounded in collaborative research with Indigenous communities in wildfire-affected landscapes, she demonstrates how cultural stewardship, food systems, and land-based knowledges reshape measurable recovery outcomes and illuminate new pathways for decision-making. The talk will outline a relational approach that integrates Indigenous and Western knowledge systems to improve the rigor, accountability, and effectiveness of environmental decision-making.
Jennifer Grenz is an Assistant Professor and Indigenous Scholar (Nlaka’pamux, member of the Lytton First Nation) at the University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on the application of a food systems lens to restoration ecology, and developing culturally centered, data-driven restoration interventions using Indigenous and western sciences. The lab works entirely in service to the land-healing research needs of Indigenous communities, particularly in the context of building climate resiliency and major climate event recovery. Grenz is the author of the National Bestseller, “Medicine Wheel for the Planet: A Journey Toward Personal and Ecological Healing.”
Steven Guilbeault
Steven Guilbeault has been the Member of Parliament for Laurier–Sainte-Marie since 2019. Guilbeault was Minister of Canadian Heritage from 2019 to 2021, Minister of Environment and Climate Change from 2021 to 2025, and Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages in 2025.
Guilbeault has a long history as a community environmental activist. He is a founding member of Équiterre, a Quebec community-supported agriculture organization, he was also director and campaign manager for the Greenpeace Quebec chapter for ten years.
Sasha Luccioni
AI for Sustainability and the Sustainability of AI: Two Sides of the Same Coin
Sasha Luccioni is a leading scientist at the nexus of artificial intelligence, ethics, and sustainability, with a Ph.D. in AI and a decade of research and industry expertise. Luccioni is passionate about catalyzing impactful change, organizing events and serving as a mentor to under-represented minorities within the AI community. In 2024, Luccioni’s work was recognized by TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people in AI and by Business Insider on its 2024 AI Power List.