Evan is Executive Director of the Arrell Food Institute and full Professor of Geography. He is an award-winning author, with five books, over 150 academic publications, and opinion editorials that have appeared on CNN, the Guardian, and all major Canadian media outlets. As one of Canada’s most cited academics working on the future of food, sustainability, and climate change, he is a sought after expert and speaker and works with communities, the corporate sector, the Federal Government of Canada, and the United Nations.

In 2025, Evan was recognized as a Fellow by the Royal Society of Canada for his work on global food security in a world also affected by climate change and population growth. He is an inaugural co-chair of the Canadian Food Policy Advisory Council, which is a multi-stakeholder group that advises the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada on the implementation of Canada’s food policy. He is one of fifteen international experts who sit on the United Nations’ High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition. This is the scientific body that advises the Committee on World Food Security and is the top-most global body dealing with issues related to food systems and sustainability. As vice chair of the Maple Leaf Center for Food Security, he helps direct funding to community groups across Canada and as a scientific mentor for Creative Destruction Labs he works with agri-food technology start-ups and entrepreneurs.

Evan is also part of a team made up of producers, NGOs, and the senior leadership from some of Canada’s largest corporate players (including the Royal Bank, Loblaw, Maple Leaf Food, McCains and Nutrien), that founded the Canadian Alliance for Net Zero Agrifood (CANZA). CANZA is initiating programs aimed at creating financial incentives and the infrastructure to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions caused by Canada’s agri-food sector.

Other present and past leadership roles include holding a Canada Research Chair between 2010-2020, being a Fellow of the Pierre Elliot Trudeau foundation, acting as a scientific advisor to Genome Quebec and Proteins Industries Canada, being a member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, and a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

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