Debela Tesfaye is an IBET PhD Momentum Fellow at the University of Waterloo in the Chemical Engineering Department.
He noted that he was encouraged to apply to this PhD program because of the limited Indigenous and Black professors in the higher institutions in the country. This fellowship fulfills his passion for learning with the scientific community and shares their work to benefit people of all backgrounds. It’s his firm belief that this IBET fellowship helps many to grow individually and as a community.
He expresses his thanks to the development of the program and to the mentors who are providing their support.
The Faculties of Engineering and Mathematics at University of Waterloo are committed to increasing the diversity of Canadian workforce in the engineering and technology sectors, especially, the participation from Indigenous and Black communities.
The Momentum Fellowships are a central pillar of the new IBET PhD Project which aims to change the academic landscape within the next five to 10 years by increasing the number of Indigenous and Black engineering professors teaching and researching in universities across Ontario. The project will also create a pipeline of students who will increase diversity in Canadian technology industries as they enter the workforce with graduate degrees from STEM programs.