Ian Burgess

President & CTO

2015 - Current

Emissions and commodity management platform built by the experts for the people making a difference. Over 50 companies spanning energy, carbon removal and nature-based solutions rely on Validere's technology and multidisciplinary experts to understand their physical and environmental commodities and navigate an increasingly complex environment with clarity and ease. The company has offices in Calgary, Toronto, and Austin, TX. validere.com

Board Member

2020

Venture Partner

2020

Senior Venture Partner

2018 - 2020

Y Combinator Alumni supporting YC startups. Pioneer Fund pools capital and expertise from 170+ YC alumni to support the next generation of startups

Banting Fellow

2014 - 2015

Developing self-powered microfluidics and readout mechanisms for low-cost diagnostics for infectious diseases in the field.

Wyss Technology Development Fellow

2012 - 2014

Developing adaptive optical materials for application in colorants, sensing and camouflage. https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=aDAkVOIAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

PhD Student (nanoscale optics and adaptive materials)

2008 - 2012

My research focused on soft materials that could manipulate light on very small scales in dynamically adjustable ways. Over the course of my PhD I worked on different applications in diagnostics, signal processing, and quantum computing. My advisors were Prof. Marko Loncar (Electrical Engineering) and Joanna Aizenberg (Materials Science and Chemistry).

Research Assistant, Nonlinear Photonics Group

2008 - 2008

I built theoretical models to predict the behaviour of strong light pulses in liquid crystals whose properties changed in response to illumination at both fast and slow time scales. This research was aimed at making better signal processing circuits.

Research Assistant, Department of Chemistry

2005 - 2007

Characterized spontaneous optical pattern formation in the photopolymerization of an organosiloxane.

Research Assistant, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

2006 - 2006

Designed and conducted an experimental method to measure quantum yields and fluorescence stabilities of many dyes in polymer films. Analyzed chemical degradation in aircraft wire segments using FTIR, GC and DSC-TGA.