Transparent energy modelling for the public good.

Deven is the Project Director of Open Insights, a collaboration between SESIT and partner organizations that develops open-source energy-economy datasets, models and visualization tools for Canada’s modelling and climate policy community. Before Open Insights, he worked in environmental economic consulting in the United Kingdom, leading model development teams focused on climate and nature transition and physical risk modelling for financial institutions.

Deven holds a Master’s in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Bachelor’s in Economics from Simon Fraser University, and has published on climate science and environmental economics. In his spare time, he can be found trail running, road cycling, kiteboarding or being made fun of by his friends for still calling his apartment his “flat.”

Madeleine leads the Open Insights modelling program, overseeing the analysis and validation process. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Victoria and Principal Investigator of the SESIT Group. Her research focuses on integrating high penetrations of wind and solar PV into electricity systems.

Aaron leads the Open Insights Energy Policy Monitor and has led custom scenario analysis projects with civil society partners. An energy and climate policy researcher, he brings a background in engineering and energy economics. Before joining IESVic, Aaron worked at the Canada Energy Regulator, where he analysed climate and energy policy to support long-term energy demand projections. He has also worked in climate policy consulting and in engineering roles in industry.

His master’s research evaluated how federal climate policy affected Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions, with a focus on policy interactions. His doctoral research assesses the effectiveness and acceptability of alternative climate policy pathways that are likely to meet Canada’s emissions targets. Aaron is motivated by climate change mitigation and applies his analytical and interdisciplinary training to inform discussions on energy and climate policy.

Madeleine is the Power Systems Model Lead for Open Insights and a Research Analyst with the SESIT Group at the University of Victoria. She has led academic and policy-focused modelling projects for Environment and Climate Change Canada, the City of Regina and Electricity Canada.

Madeleine completed her B.Eng. in Civil Engineering at McMaster University (2019) and her Ph.D. in the SESIT Group at the University of Victoria (2023). Her doctoral research modelled city-scale decarbonization pathways, with a focus on large-scale renewable energy integration and electrification. She has worked with energy system models, including a production cost model (SILVER) and a capacity model (COPPER), and with demand-side models, including a transportation model (TASHA) and a building model (EnergyPlus). By linking demand-side and energy system models, her work explored demand response programs as a source of grid flexibility.

Esmaeil is the Macroeconomic Lead for Open Insights and a Research Analyst and Postdoctoral Fellow with the SESIT Group at the University of Victoria. An economist, he bridges economic theory with energy modelling and climate policy analysis. His recent work at Environment and Climate Change Canada focused on integrated assessment modelling and scenario analysis for federal energy policies. Before his PhD, he worked as a policy advisor and business development manager in the mining and offshore industries, contributing to market expansion, financial analysis and strategic planning.

His research spans political economy, the energy transition, and financial strategies at the firm and government levels. Using economic theory, applied econometrics and energy-economy modelling, he studies how institutions and market and non-market incentives shape financial outcomes, development paths and transition trajectories. His doctoral research examined how institutions form in macro-development settings, the role of network relationships in firms’ strategies and financial outcomes, and the links between climate risks and stranded assets in financial markets.

Esmaeil received his PhD in Economics from Simon Fraser University in 2025. He also holds Master’s degrees in Economics from the University of New Mexico and the University of Tehran, and a Bachelor’s degree in Marine Engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran.

Brad leads development of the CIMS model for Open Insights. He is Director of Simon Fraser University’s Energy and Materials Research Group (EMRG) and Canadian Energy and Emissions Data Centre (CEEDC). Through CEEDC, he provides publicly available energy and GHG data on many of Canada’s main economic sectors. His work involves developing and applying long-term energy-economy models to evaluate how government policies can realistically reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Brad has worked on resource management issues from project scale to international public policy, with expertise in energy economics, risk analysis and physical resources. Previously, he was a consultant in Grenoble, France, conducting long-term energy-economy policy analyses for the European Commission, national governments and large utilities. He has also worked as an engineer in the mining and construction sectors.

Brendan is the EnergyABM Model Lead for Open Insights and a Research Analyst with the SESIT Group at the University of Victoria. EnergyABM is an agent-based model designed to represent energy markets from the bottom up. His earlier work experience includes product design and development roles in the mining and manufacturing sectors.

Brendan completed his Master of Applied Science at the University of Victoria in 2025, where his research investigated decarbonization pathways for the Canadian energy system. He holds a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Guelph (2023), specializing in sustainable energy technologies. In his spare time, he enjoys the outdoors and mountain biking.