Aerial shot ot turquoise fresh water lake in Ontario Canada bordered by green trees

Water

Human activity—from pollutants to climate change—is threatening the health of our planet's precious freshwater resources.

That's where we come in.

Just as our fresh water flows across borders, our work stretches across nation and sectors. 

IISD can influence how we manage fresh water like no other think tank on earth, because we create scientific understanding of fresh water at our very own freshwater science facility, which then informs the policy recommendations developed by our team of policy analysts. 

In other words, we truly bridge science and policy. 

First the science. 

IISD Experimental Lakes Area is the world’s freshwater laboratory.

A series of 58 lakes and their watersheds in northwestern Ontario, Canada, IISD-ELA is the only place in the world where scientists can experiment on and manipulate real lakes to build a more accurate and complete picture of what human activity is doing to freshwater lakes. The findings from its over 50 years of ground-breaking research have rewritten environmental policy around the world—from mitigating algal blooms to reducing how much mercury gets into our waterways—and aim to keep fresh water clean around the world for generations to come. 

Then comes the policy. 

We then take those scientific findings, and develop policy and programming solutions for governments, civil society, and industry that protect and enhance the natural environment, keep our fresh water clean, while also improving socioeconomic well-being.  

We conduct economic analyses and hydrologic assessments so that governments best understand all the options before making final decisions. And we support the management of watersheds across national boundaries, bringing all the relevant sectors and stakeholders to the table.

Experts

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Pauline Gerrard

Interim Executive Director, IISD-ELA

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Dimple Roy

Director, Water Management

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Matthew McCandless

Interim VP Operations and Business Transformation

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Vince Palace

Head Research Scientist, IISD-ELA

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Michael Paterson

Senior Research Scientist, IISD-ELA

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Scott Higgins

Senior Research Scientist, IISD-ELA

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Aidan Guttormson

Field Technician, IISD-ELA

Headshot of Aliana Fristensky for the IISD website

Aliana Fristensky

Policy Advisor

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Ashley Rawluk

Policy Advisor

Blake Cooney

Blake Cooney

Chemist I, IISD-ELA

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Chris Hay

Scientific Data Officer, IISD-ELA

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Desiree Langenfeld

Biologist, IISD-ELA

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Emily Kroft

Water Policy and Youth Engagement Officer, IISD-ELA

Jose Luis Rodriquez Gil

Jose Luis Rodriguez Gil

Research Scientist, IISD-ELA

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Josée Méthot

Senior Policy Specialist, Water

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Ken Sandilands

Biologist - Field Coordinator, IISD-ELA

Kevin Obiero Experimental Lakes Area Africa

Kevin Obiero

IISD-ELA Board Member

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Lauren Hayhurst

Fisheries Research Biologist II, IISD-ELA

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Lauren Timlick

Biologist II - Ecotoxicology, IISD-ELA

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Lee Hrenchuk

Senior Biologist, IISD-ELA

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Lisa Peters

Research Associate, IISD-ELA

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Madeline Stanley

Remediation Ecology Scientist

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Marina Puzyreva

Senior Policy Advisor

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Michael Rennie

Research Fellow, IISD-ELA

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Morgan Anderson

Field Sampling Technician/Senior Education and Relations Officer, IISD-ELA

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Patrique Bulloch

Food Web Biologist, IISD-ELA

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Paul Fafard

Field Sampling Technician II, IISD-ELA

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Richard Grosshans

Lead II, Bioremediation

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Sonya Havens

Research Chemist, IISD-ELA

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Stanley Chasia

Policy Advisor, NBS Biophysical Monitoring

Ted Lawrence

Ted Lawrence

Executive Director, IISD-ACARE

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Thomas Saleh

Policy Advisor, Data and Technology; IISD-ELA

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