Keynote Speakers
Sabrina Ellsworth M.Sc., P.Ag.
Director of Agriculture Production and Research, Gov. of NL
Sabrina Ellsworth is a Professional Agrologist, non-status Indigenous woman, and mother from Newfoundland’s Bay of Islands. Raised in a rural, land-based lifestyle, she developed a strong connection to food and community. She holds B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from the Nova Scotia Agricultural College (Dalhousie University). With over 20 years in research and government, she now leads a team of 90 professionals, advancing initiatives including the province’s Japanese beetle eradication plan and sustainable agriculture innovation.
Dr. Willemijn Appels
Senior Research Chair, Mueller Irrigation Research Group, Lethbridge Polytechnic
Dr. Appels is a Senior Research Chair at Lethbridge Polytechnic, leading the Mueller Irrigation Research Group. Trained as a hydrologist and soil physicist at Wageningen University (the Netherlands), her expertise is in measuring and modeling agrohydrological processes above and below the soil surface. The group investigates how agricultural water management research can be translated into practical applications for irrigated agriculture in southern Alberta.
Ryan Barrett
Research & Agronomy Specialist, PEI Potato Board
Ryan Barrett is the Research and Agronomy Specialist with the Prince Edward Island Potato Board. He leads and coordinates local and national research initiatives, working closely with various partners and conducting on-farm trials with PEI potato growers. Ryan serves as the lead on three projects under the ACS Living Labs program in the province. He holds a B.Sc. from Dalhousie Faculty of Agriculture and an M.Sc. from the University of Guelph. A Professional Agrologist and Certified Crop Advisor for the Atlantic Provinces, Ryan is also the Past-President of the PEI Institute of Agrologists and Chair of the Canadian Potato Council’s Research Working Group.
Dr. Shiv O. Prasher, P.Eng.
Distinguished James McGill Professor, Department of Bioresource Engineering, Macdonald Campus, McGill University
Dr. Prasher is a Fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE), the Canadian Society for Bioengineering (CSBE/SCGAB), the Indian Society of Agricultural Engineers (ISAE), and the Society for Applied Biotechnology (SAB). He is Past-President of CSBE/SCGAB, Past-Chair of the Department of Bioresource Engineering at McGill and currently Chair of the Board of Directors of the CSBE/SCGAB Foundation.
Dr. Roland Kroebel
Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Dr. Kroebel joined AAFC in 2012 as a research scientist, drawing on his background in organic farming, environmental systems analysis, and process modeling of greenhouse gases. As lead developer of the open-source Holos model, he works to make farmer practices accountable in the National greenhouse gas Inventory Report and to help industry partners build on Holos code and algorithms, fostering collaboration between government scientists, academics, farmers, practitioners, and consultants.
Dr. Joann Karen Whalen
James McGill Professor / Full Professor, McGill University; Affiliate Professor, Center for Sustainable Soil Sciences, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (Morocco)
Dr. Whalen holds a B.Sc. in Agriculture from Dalhousie University, a M.Sc from McGill, and a Ph.D. from Ohio State University (USA). Her research covers soil biology, soil health, and agricultural nutrient management. She has produced 300+ peer-reviewed scientific articles and supervised 80+ graduate students and postdoctoral researchers and is a Fellow of the Soil Science Society of America and of the Canadian Society of Soil Science.