Five experts have been chosen as the first cohort of Arrell Food Fellows by Arrell Food Institute. Established to expand the Institute’s work into key food spaces, as well as provide resources for worthy projects, the program provides Fellows with a two-year term and support for food systems-strengthening ideas.
“Transforming and enhancing our food systems is a monumental endeavour, but the creativity and expertise these fellows have brings us all that much closer to the goal,” said AFI Director, Dr. Evan Fraser. “We are very excited to support these fellows and we look forward to collaborating with them.”
Nadège Levallet, Assistant Professor, School of Hospitality, Food and Tourism Management, University of Guelph
Dr. Levallet joined the University of Guelph in 2018 and her research has started to explore innovation and market growth of small and medium food and beverage businesses, such as craft breweries.
Dr. Levallet plans to explore the triggers and actors involved in adaptation of the food and beverage industry into digital spaces. Through this work she hopes to provide insight to those businesses and policy makers to help the industry weather the pandemic and other challenges.
Robert Hanner, Associate Professor, Integrative Biology, University of Guelph
Through Dr. Hanner’s work in molecular biology, he and his team identified food fraud in the marketplace and provided Canadians with more transparency in their food system.
Dr. Hanner will expand transparency research and help policymakers better understand the relationship of DNA authentication to a safer and more secure food supply chain.
Danil Kerimi, COO, Edgelands Institute
Danil Kerimi has had an international career in technology governance, tech diplomacy and network design, including two decades with the World Economic Forum and the United Nations. Having witnessed and helped shape global digital revolutions, Danil Kerimi will use the fellowship to further examine the ongoing digital agricultural revolution and challenge the tech ecosystem to join him in reimagining the transformation that will challenge many notions of how our food is produced, transported and consumed.
David McInnes, Principal, DMci Strategies
A former executive of a national think tank, David McInnes convenes food stakeholders from across Canada to collaborate on sustainability benchmarking to build Canada’s international food brand.
As an Arrell Fellow, David McInnes will continue to bring the food system together to help feed ideas into international events, such as the UN Food Systems Summit, and further develop existing benchmarking plans.
Silvia Leonor Sarapura, Assistant Professor, School of Environmental Design and Rural Development
A social scientist and agronomist, Dr. Sarapura’s work in North and South America has explored local knowledge and innovation within agriculture and ecosystems. As an Arrell Food Fellow, Dr. Sarapura will identify areas that may benefit from more investigation, including community research and innovation’s impact on resilience against climate change and other challenges.