Jonathan Leary, BSc (Eng) Student

Jonathan Leary joined CESAR through the CREATE-IISC (Integrated Infrastructure for Sustainable Cities) highly qualified personnel training program at the University of Calgary. The CREATE-IISC program aims to fill the growing gap between existing educational training programs and real-world needs, so student infrastructure engineers and planners can become future field leaders. 

At CESAR, Jonathan is engaged in projects focused on the future of autonomous vehicles in Alberta and initiatives to establish a hydrogen economy in Alberta. This includes assisting Jessica Lof, CESAR research lead-hydrogen economy, and Cameron Young, CESAR energy systems analyst, in their work to advance a hydrogen economy in Alberta, as part of Alberta’s Industrial Heartland Hydrogen Task Force. 

Jonathan has a diverse educational background, including a Bachelor of Science Honours in Chemistry at UCalgary, conducting research in chemotherapeutics. His focus then shifted toward industrial applications of chemistry. He completed an honours thesis, “Rational Ligand Design: PDI Based Ligands for Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction,” under the supervision of Dr. (PhD) Gregory Welch, assistant professor of chemistry and Tier II Canada Research Chair in Solar Energy Materials at Devices at UCalgary.

Driven by a desire to solve real-world issues, Jonathan recently transferred from the Faculty of Science to the Schulich School of Engineering, where he plans to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Engineering. During his time at UCalgary, Jonathan has held various volunteer positions, serving as a senior responder for the Student Medical Responder, a student-run emergency medical response service. He also recently concluded his term as vice-president, public relations for the Chemistry Students’ Chapter.