We are pleased to announce the panel speakers for the International EDI-AR Conference 2026:

Jamie Jackman

Jamie Jackman is a Nunatsiavut Beneficiary who grew up between the communities of Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Hopedale, Labrador. He studied Anthropology at the University of Prince Edward Island and graduated in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts. He then went on to work mainly with Indigenous organizations in areas related to community-based research, youth programming, food security, and more, including the Native Council of Prince Edward Island, Sivunivut Inuit Community Corporation, and the Labrador Friendship Centre.

Jamie’s interests lie mainly in food sovereignty, northern-based agriculture, and community engagement and development. In his current capacity as Program Coordinator for the Labrador Campus of Memorial University, he is responsible for the continued development and coordination of the Pye Centre for Northern Boreal Food Systems. In 2025, he was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal by the Governor General of Canada, the Right Honourable Mary Simon, for his collaborative approach to local sustainability and agricultural development in Labrador.

Jamie is also a Masters student enrolled in Memorial University’s School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies, working toward a Masters of Arctic and Subarctic Futures. His graduate work focuses on contemporary Labrador folk music and collaborative, place-based songwriting. He is a lifelong musician and songwriter and is a founding member of award-winning folk-rock group, Silver Wolf Band. The band has 5 commercially available albums and won the East Coast Music Award for Indigenous Artist of the Year in 2021, Music NL’s Indigenous Artist of the Year in 2020, and Arts NL’s Emerging Artist of the Year, also in 2020.

Jamie currently sits on the board of the Eastern Labrador Arts Alliance and is a former board member of Food First NL.

He currently resides in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador, with his partner, Mckenzie, children, Violet and William, and their dog, Sunday.

Dr. Shegufa Shetranjiwalla-Merchant

Dr. Shegufa Shetranjiwalla-Merchant is an Assistant Professor in the School of Science and the Environment at the Grenfell campus of Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Her research areas include interdisciplinary circular and eco-design of functional bio-based materials from biomass and commodity plastic resources. She develops biomaterials for applications in coatings and packaging. She uses green chemistry and life cycle assessment metrics to quantify environmental impacts of chemical products and processes in her research and teaching.

She teaches organic, polymer and green chemistry and environmental toxicology to undergraduate students and teaches graduate courses in circular design and life cycle analysis. Shegufa invites industry and community partners into her research and in the classroom to integrate experiential industry- and community-relevant training and sensitivity that will empower a skilled workforce for a just net-zero transition.

In her downtime, Shegufa loves to sit down over dinner or coffee with her daughters, family, friends and students to engage in conversation and learning.