Engineering sustainability

A PhD student in Concordia’s Individualized Program, Sherif Goubran wants to bridge the fields of design, engineering and finance to explore sustainable buildings beyond their certifications. He wants to answer questions like: “how can buildings contribute to helping with issues such as poverty and equality?”

His research will examine award-winning Canadian architectural projects using the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Goubran was born and raised in Egypt by two architects and received a bachelor of science in architecture in 2014. He moved to Montreal shortly thereafter to join the Centre for Zero Energy Building Studies (CZEBS) at Concordia and pursue his master of applied science degree.

“I joined the CZEBS to learn about the engineering of sustainability. I felt it was important to understand the technical aspect of it,” says Goubran. “It’s quite unique in Canada and one of the most advanced in terms of equipment.” After starting work with his current supervisor, Carmella Cucuzzella, Goubran decided to pursue his PhD.

Committed to helping others

“I love to teach and I’d love to teach in areas where it’s needed the most, in under-developed or developing countries,” Goubran says. “I want to continue my research and to help others.”

In the meantime, Goubran is using the funds he received from the Power Corporation of Canada Graduate Fellowship to free up some of his teaching and research assistant time to volunteer with Season Jars, a project he co-founded at Concordia in 2016.

“Season Jars aims to promote year-round consumption of local, organic and seasonal produce through public education and collective food preservation. Each workshop includes a collective kitchen, where participants collaboratively apply their theoretical knowledge to transform produce into delicious recipes to take home,” explains Goubran.

“The fellowship was an assurance that I was on the right track — doing a lot of research and academic work, but also a lot of community work and student activities. It was a boost to focus further on these activities.”