Top sustainable finance experts join ISF as new Research Fellows
July 29, 2025
The Institute for Sustainable Finance (ISF) is continuing to build the most credible and robust body of sustainable finance knowledge in the country, creating a critical resource for Canadian public and private sector decision-makers.
ISF is very pleased to announce the addition of five new Research Fellows to its growing team, including some of Canada’s leading scholars in the field: Julie Bernard (PhD), School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED), University of Waterloo, Sean Cleary (PhD), Smith School of Business, Queen’s University, Fabio Moneta (PhD), Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, Kenneth S. Corts (PhD), Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, and Olaf Weber (PhD), Schulich School of Business, York University.
These new additions bring the total to 10 new members of the Research Fellows Program who have joined ISF in 2025. ISF welcomes the support of the sustainable finance community to strengthen this program and truly bridge the gap between academic insights and industry decision making.
“Now, more than ever, public and private sector leaders need access to reliable, tangible, evidence-based insights and analysis,” said ISF Executive Director (Academic) Thomas Walker. “ISF has responded to this need by pulling together Canada’s top academic experts and building a platform for their ideas to have practical, real-world impact.”
The ISF Research Fellows will produce high-impact research on pressing topics such as climate-related financial risk, green and transition investment strategies, fiduciary responsibility in a changing regulatory landscape, and corporate governance. By fostering a dynamic exchange of ideas, this initiative will help translate cutting-edge academic knowledge into actionable strategies, ensuring that Canada remains at the forefront of the global sustainable finance movement. With funding support, mentorship, and a strong research community, the ISF Research Fellows Program will cultivate a generation of thought leaders dedicated to shaping Canada’s resilient and sustainable financial future. To learn more about the program, click here.
ISF's New Research Fellows
“Joining ISF as a Research Fellow is a great opportunity to advance my work on the rising anti-ESG movement, its impact on organizational decision-making within capital markets, and how this is reshaping dynamics between key market actors in both the United States and Canada,” said Julie Bernard, Assistant Professor of Sustainable Finance at the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED), University of Waterloo.
“I'm excited to join ISF as a Research Fellow and support its mission to advance sustainable finance in Canada. I'm particularly eager to contribute to the field of responsible investment, which involves allocating capital more sustainably, engaging with high-emitting companies to support their transition to greener practices, and improving how we measure and manage climate-related financial risks,” said Fabio Moneta, Professor, RBC Financial Group Fellowship in Finance, and Co-Director, Microprogram Capital Markets at the Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa.
“I’m very excited to be working more formally with the ISF in this important role. I look forward to working with my co-author Dhruv Baswal and the ISF to complete research to produce policy papers that address important sustainable finance issues,” said Sean Cleary, Professor of Finance at Smith School of Business, Queen’s University.
"As an ISF Research Fellow, I aim to develop a tool that enables financial industry players to assess their alignment with sustainable finance standards, regulations, and taxonomies,” said Olaf Weber, Professor and CIBC Chair in Sustainable Finance, and Director of the Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business (CoErb) at Schulich School of Business, York University.
“As an ISF Research Fellow, I’ll be pursuing a project on energy finance ratios, a new disclosure tool for financial institutions that is gaining traction in the industry, and exploring how this can overcome barriers to disclosure and improve transparency,” said Kenneth S. Corts, Professor, Economic Analysis and Policy, Marcel Desautels Chair in Entrepreneurship, and Academic Director of the Rotman Sustainability Initiative at the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto.
Bio and publications for Kenneth Corts
About the Institute for Sustainable Finance
The Institute for Sustainable Finance was launched in 2019 as the first-ever cross-cutting and collaborative hub in Canada that fuses academia, the private sector, and government with the singular focus of increasing Canada’s sustainable finance capacity. The institute's mission is to align mainstream financial markets with Canada’s transition to a prosperous sustainable economy.
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