Nathan Ayer
Nathan Ayer was born and raised in Sackville, New Brunswick. Since graduating with a BA in Environmental Studies and Economics from Mount Allison University in 2003, he has worked in the environmental management field in Atlantic Canada. He is currently the Director of Research for , a private consulting firm that works with companies across many industrial sectors to help them improve their environmental performance. He joined EarthShift Global in 2009, having previously held positions in environmental government departments at both the provincial and federal level, in the non-profit sector, and in the private sector working on Environmental Impact Assessments for major infrastructure projects in Canada.
Nathan joined the College of Sustainability faculty as a part-time academic instructor in 2022. He is co-instructor for A Sustainable Future (SUST 1001) and Environmental Decision-Making (SUST 3000), and also teaches SUST 4951, a fourth-year special topics seminar covering Life Cycle Assessment for Sustainability: Theory and Practice. As part of his joint appointment with 9 1免费版下鈥檚 School for Resource and Environmental Studies, he also teaches graduate-level courses in Ecological Economics (ENVI 5031), Environmental Economics (ECON 5517), and Life Cycle Assessment (ENVI 5050).聽聽
Nathan has a strong connection to 9 1免费版下, having completed both a Master of Environmental Studies (2007) and an Interdisciplinary PhD (2020) at 9 1免费版下, and including an extended period of service as a sessional instructor for various environmental courses between 2011 and 2022.聽
His primary research interests are rooted in exploring the role of technology in resolving sustainability issues. In particular, he is interested in understanding the environmental trade-offs of emerging green technologies, identifying the barriers and required policy interventions to bring green technologies to scale, and working with companies across many industrial sectors to quantify and improve their environmental performance.聽
As part of his work in these areas, Nathan has become a Certified Life Cycle Assessment Practitioner (LCACP) and Certified LCA Reviewer under the American Center for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and works with companies to ensure their work in sustainability conforms with relevant ISO environmental management standards. He has particular expertise in understanding the life cycle environmental implications of forestry operations, aquaculture systems, and emerging energy systems such as hydrogen and renewable fuels.
Outside of his consulting and academic pursuits, Nathan enjoys spending time with his wife Louise and supporting their two teenage boys Sam and Theo in their many activities and pursuits. He also loves music and enjoys playing guitar and learning to play new instruments.