Biography
Elizabeth Girolami is a science–policy professional with a PhD in Neuroscience from McGill University and a decade of experience in the Canadian public sector spanning health, environment, and energy. Her work sits at the intersection of science, regulation, and governance, with expertise in science communication, knowledge translation for policy and public audiences, and cross-sector engagement on complex policy challenges.
Elizabeth was one of Canada's Free Agents, the Government of Canada's talent mobility programme based on Deloitte's GovCloud concept. In this role, she led and contributed to projects and policy initiatives across multiple federal departments.
Her experience includes pharmaceutical regulation at Health Canada, science and risk communications in the Office of Canada's Chief Public Health Officer during the COVID-19 pandemic, and senior advisory roles advancing animal health, clean energy, freshwater policy, and urban nature-based solutions and biodiversity. She has also contributed to international initiatives, including support for the G7+ Ukraine Energy Coordination Group and Annex 9 of the Canada–US Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement on climate change impacts.
As a Visiting Fellow working with Josephine van Zeben, she will examine how governance systems can better support interdisciplinary, science-informed policymaking at the environment–health interface, including the role of public engagement in building awareness, inclusion, and support for complex climate policy challenges.