President and Chair of the Board
University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta
Dr. Jocelyn Hayley is a Professor (Geotechnical) in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Calgary. Her research focuses on understanding how to mitigate and adapt to the impact of climate change in permafrost and offshore sediments, with a focus on soil behaviour. She has been recognized with Fellowship in the Engineering Institute of Canada and Canadian Academy of Engineering, been awarded the EIC Canadian Pacific Railway Engineering Medal, the APEGA Women in Engineering and Geoscience Champion Award, delivered the 2022 Canadian Geotechnical Society Hardy Address, and the 2024 Canadian Geotechnical Society Cross Canada Lecture Tour. Jocelyn has also served in academic leadership positions, including Head of Civil Engineering and Senior Associate Dean Research.
Past-President
Université Laval (retired), Québec City, Québec
Secretary
Thurber Engineering, Calgary, Alberta
Dr. Proskin has 31 years experience providing consulting engineering services for clients in mining, oil and gas, and public sectors in western Canada, NWT, Nunavut and Yukon Territory. His experience includes geotechnical engineering of permafrost soils, mine tailings and earth and rock fill embankments. In May 2015 he joined the Thurber where he now provides technical support for earth and rock fill structure design, permafrost engineering, and ice roads and ice pads.
In January 2013 Dr. Proskin co-founded NOR-EX Ice Engineering Inc. as a consultancy providing services related to the construction and operations of ice roads and winter roads.
From 1996 to 2012 Dr. Proskin worked with EBA (now Tetra-Tech) as a geotechnical engineer in the arctic division where he undertook geotechnical assignments for structures built on permafrost or seasonally frozen ground for mining, oil and gas, and infrastructure projects.
He has B.Sc. in geological engineering form the University of Manitoba and a M.Sc. and Ph.D. in geotechnical engineering from the University of Alberta.
Treasurer
SKEDE Solutions
Earl de Guzman is a senior geotechnical and cold regions engineer in the consulting industry and has worked with engineering firms in Canada and the United States. Earl began his interest dealing with discontinuous permafrost underlying road and railway infrastructure in Northern Manitoba. Earl completed his PhD from the University of Manitoba focusing on the structural stability of embankments constructed with frozen fill and stabilized with geosynthetics. His primary area of expertise is on linear transportation infrastructure founded on peat and permafrost foundations in the Canadian Arctic and assessing the impacts of climate change.
For his research work along the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway, Earl and his colleagues received the Roger J.E. Brown Award by the Canadian Geotechnical Society. Earl previously volunteered for the Canadian Geotechnical Society – Manitoba Section as Liaison between 2014 and 2017, and Treasurer between 2017 and 2020. He also volunteers with several technical committees north and south of the border. In addition to his responsibility as Treasurer, Earl also chairs the CPA’s Thermal Modelling Action Group and supports engineers and scientists in developing best practices for early-career researchers and young professionals in modelling permafrost.
Communications Director
Royal Military College of Canada
Astrid Schetselaar has been actively involved with the CPA for over three years, serving as the Executive Assistant and member of the Standing Finance Committee. She is now taking on the role of Communications Director, where she aims to continue to enhance outreach, engagement, and knowledge sharing within the permafrost community.
Astrid holds a Master of Science in Geography from Carleton University, where her research focused on infrastructure sustainability and adaptability in Canada’s northern regions. Her thesis examined the costs associated with permafrost degradation on highway infrastructure in the Yukon, with the goal of providing recommendations for climate change adaptation in northern communities. She also earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences from the University of Ottawa.
Early Career Representative
University of Alberta
Michelle Landry (M.Sc) is a geoscientist who works in the space between permafrost and long-term land use. From characterizing porewater geochemistry for deep geological repository of nuclear wastes (B.Sc) to the near-surface characterization of drilling wastes in permafrost sumps (M.Sc), understanding Canada's approach to waste management is her top interest. Connecting with the CPA since 2022 has allowed her to connect with experienced scientists who approach scientific inquiry through government, academia, and industry. She is excited to foster early career professionals in presenting their passions through the CPA seminar series.
Member-at-large
WSP, Whitehorse, Yukon
Julie Perreault received her Bachelor of Science in geological engineering from Laval University in 2018. After graduation, she completed her master's under the directorship of Richard Fortier and John Molson where she studied how different surface conditions impact permafrost degradation in Umiujaq, Nunavik. She has been working in environmental consulting for the last 4 years with Golder Associates/WSP Canada. Two of her main interests are northern hydrogeology and contaminated sites in permafrost environments. She relocated to Whitehorse in 2022 to be involved in northern projects and has been working around the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut ever since. She is excited to be part of the CPA board and looks forward to be collaborating with members and the board.
Member-at-large
Sachs Harbour Hunters and Trappers Committee, Northwest Territories
Manny Kudluk is an Arctic guide, observer/communicator, and corporate manager raised in Sachs Harbour, Northwest Territories. He is also the founder of Back of the Earth Adventures, the first Inuvialuit guiding company for Aulavik National Park, with a mission to immerse visitors in the region's natural and cultural heritage while supporting the local community and promoting ecofriendly practices. Manny is also the former vice chairperson of the Inuvialuit Game Council, and was the Director of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation for seven years. He is also a founding member of PermafrostNet.
Member-at-large
University of Quebec, Montreal, Quebec
Dr. Michelle Garneau is professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and co-holder of the research Chaire CARCLIQUE “Chaire de recherche québécoise portant sur l’étude du carbone dans les milieux humides comme solution fondée sur la nature pour lutter contre le changement climatique ». Michelle Garneau holds a bachelor degree in physical geography and a specialized master's degree in plant ecology from Laval University, Quebec. She completed her PhD in paleoecology at the Department of Biology at the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands. She has worked as a researcher for nearly 10 years at the Geological Survey of Canada where she coordinated, among other things, the paleoecology/paleoclimatology component of the Canadian High Arctic Climate Change Observatory on Ellesmere Island. She joined the Department of Geography in UQAM in 2001.
Over the past 30 years, Michelle Garneau successfully initiated and realized several research projects documenting the impact of climate variations on peatland C dynamics in high latitude peatland environments. The research carried out by her group over the past 24 years was used as a basis to modify and improve the Quebec provincial “Loi sur les milieu humides et hydriques” (LMHH) (The Wetland Habitat Law) through the addition of a specific regulation for the conservation of C stocks in different types of wetlands.
Ex-officio member (non-officer)
BGC Engineering, Vancouver, BC
Lukas is a permafrost engineer who has spent more than two decades exploring and designing infrastructure in cold regions around the globe. As a Principal Geotechnical Engineer at BGC Engineering, he has specialized in frozen soil mechanics, pergiglacial and cryo-geohazards, and geothermal modelling. Originally from Switzerland, he completed his doctoral thesis at ETC Zurich, studying how climate change affects mountain permafrost and rock glaciers.
Since 2003, his work has taken him across Canada, Alaska, the South American Andes, the Alps, and Asia, supporting infrastructure and mining projects in some of the world's most challenging environments. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Winnipeg and Polytechnique Montréal and a frequent lecturer on all things permafrost. He is frequently contributing professional standards, and scientific publications, have served on multiple editorial boards and has the honour of receiving several awards, including the Roger J.E. Brown Award (2010, 2022). He is also the Past President of the
the Canadian Permafrost Association and currently Vice President of the International Permafrost Association (IPA), which comes with an ex-officio membership of the CPA Board.
Executive Assistant
Ria earned her B.Sc (Archaeology & Geography) and M.Sc (Geography) from the University of Lethbridge. She has previously worked in archaeology, both in the private and public sectors, including research archaeology and cultural resource management (CRM). Her M.Sc thesis centered on issues of permafrost model validation and uncertainty in regions of high thermal heterogeneity. Ria has received awards in Science Communication from the University of Lethbridge i4Geo program and from the Permafrost Young Researchers Network (PYRN). She is passionate about connecting people with science, and is excited to foster those connections with the CPA.
Peter Morse, Geological Survey of Canada, Secretary 2018-2025
Robyn Starycki, NTGS, ECR Representative 2023-2025
Kumari Karunaratne, NTGS, President 2022-23
Teddi Herring, University of Calgary, Communications Director 2022-24
Lukas Arenson, BGC Engineering, President 2020-21
Jennifer Humphries, Aurora Research Institute, Communications Director 2020-22
Antoni Lewkowicz, University of Ottawa, President 2018-19
Carolyn Gibson, University of Guelph, Early Career Representative 2018-19
Wayne Pollard, McGill University, Member-at-large
Panya Lipovsky, Yukon Geological Survey, Member-at-large
Ashley Rudy, Northwest Territories Geological Survey, Communications Director 2018-20
Xiangbing Kong, Universite Laval, Early Career Researcher 2019-21
Jason Smith, Canadrill, Member-at-Large 2019-21
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