The UNBC School of Engineering brings together academia and industry through a collaborative platform led by the Industry Advisory Board (IAB). This volunteer board shares insights and initiatives to support the development of exceptional engineering education and research programs, benefiting students, faculty, and the northern BC engineering community. With guidance from a Faculty Liaison, who manages communications and logistics, the IAB plays a vital role in strengthening connections between the School of Engineering and the industry.
Bruce Johnston, P.Eng., CP
Member
Bruce Johnston brings over 15 years of experience in structural engineering, project management, and construction to his role as a member of the Industry Advisory Board for the civil engineering undergraduate program at the University of Northern British Columbia.
Bruce’s educational foundation includes a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (with distinction) from the University of Alberta and a Red Seal Endorsement in Carpentry from NAIT. This dual expertise provides him with a unique perspective, integrating design with constructability to ensure project success.
A Professional Engineer and Certified Professional, Bruce combines technical expertise with a collaborative leadership style to drive innovation and efficiency in engineering projects. As a principal partner at Access Engineering Consultants Ltd., he leads a team of engineers in delivering complex building designs. His leadership experience includes serving as the managing partner of Access Engineering from 2016 to 2024, during which time he spearheaded the development of an in-house enterprise resource plan software, now branded as Stackd, and expanded the organization from a team of four to eighteen professionals across two locations in Prince George, BC, and Edmonton, AB.
His commitment to professional development is evident in his ongoing mentorship of engineers-in-training and his involvement in initiatives that promote sustainable and effective engineering practices. Bruce’s leadership extends beyond technical design expertise, encompassing policy development, safety management, and the integration of the ERP.
Bruce is the chair of the Program Advisory Committee for Civil Engineering Technology at the College of New Caledonia, a member of the Board of Director’s and chair of the Major Projects and Environment Committee at the Prince George Airport Authority, and a member of Prince George Search & Rescue.
Through his volunteerism, mentorship, and dedication to innovation, Bruce continues to support the advancement of civil engineering education and its integration with industry needs.
Principal, Access Engineering Consultants Ltd.
Chantelle Stevens, B.A.Sc., P.Eng.
Member
Chantelle Stevens is a Professional Environmental Engineer with over a decade of experience in environmental consulting, specializing in contaminated site management, investigations, and remediation. Her extensive field and project management experience across British Columbia has given her a well-rounded perspective on strategy development and regulatory navigation.
Chantelle focuses on advancing contaminated sites toward completion by implementing remedial programs to achieve numerical compliance, or by applying engineered controls and risk-based approaches. Her areas of particular interest and expertise include hydrogeological and soil vapour investigations, plume stability assessments, and remediation in northern climates and challenging conditions.
Dedicated to solving complex environmental challenges, Chantelle collaborates with multidisciplinary teams, clients, regulatory agencies, and stakeholders to develop effective solutions. Outside of work, she enjoys life on her homestead and exploring the wilderness, always looking for new ways to connect with, steward, and learn from the natural world.
SLR Canada Website: Global Leaders in Sustainability Solutions | SLR Consulting
Craig Santos, P.Eng, MIStructE
Member
Craig is a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) and a Chartered Member (MIStructE) of the Institute of Structural Engineers. He has over a decade of experience designing structures and foundations for industrial clients. Craig and his business partner Bryn own Gairns Santos Engineering Inc. (GSEI) in Prince George.
Website: Gairns Santos Engineering Inc. | Structural Engineering
David Claus, P.Eng, D.Phil
Member
David Claus is a Mechanical Engineer with a specialization in thermodynamics and energy systems. He also holds a doctorate from Oxford in Engineering Science (computer vision).
David joined UNBC in 2010 as Energy Manager. In his current role as Director of Facilities and Capital Planning he oversees facilities operations and energy management along with capital and infrastructure projects for Canada’s Green University. He was previously a consulting engineer and project manager for the resource industries in the Prince George area.
Eric Paulson, P.Eng (BC, YT), PE (NY), MEng
Member
Gizachew Demissie, P.Eng, PhD
Member
Dr. Gizachew (Gizo) Demissie, PEng, PhD, is a highly experienced Hydrogeologist/ Water Resources Engineer with over 15 years of professional experience in consulting, research, and academia. He holds a PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of British Columbia, a master’s in water science and engineering from UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, and a BSc in Water Resources Engineering from Arba Minch University in Ethiopia.
Dr. Demissie is a Professional Engineer (PEng) registered with Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia (EGBC). His expertise spans a range of water resource management areas, including hydrological modeling, groundwater management, water balance modeling, and mine water management (fresh and saline water). He has a strong background in surface and groundwater modeling, using advanced software tools such as GoldSim, MODFLOW, FEFLOW, and Leapfrog.
He has worked in diverse sectors, including mining, and environmental permitting, and has led water balance modeling projects, managed dewatering activities, and contributed to environmental permitting applications. Dr. Demissie has held positions at leading organizations like Centerra Gold Inc. and Agnico Eagle Mine, where he provided expertise in water management, water balance modeling, and operational project oversight.
Website: centerragold.com
Kyum Shogren, B.A.Sc, P.Eng
Member
Kyum is a UNBC Alumni (Environmental Engineering) who grew up in Prince George and is very excited to be able to give back to the School of Engineering. He enjoys sharing his experiences being raised in Prince George and working across Northern BC.
Kyum Shogren is currently the Land Quality and Remediation Team Lead and Office Manager in Prince George with more than a decade of experience in Northern BC providing high quality environmental consulting and engineering services to private, commercial and industrial clients. He has helped the SLR team in Prince George grow to more than 20 environmental professionals, including many other UNBC Alumni. He is a Professional Engineer (Environmental) focused primarily in contaminated site investigations, remediation systems, hazardous waste management, and regulatory compliance and has managed all aspects of Environmental Site Investigation from proposal to completion, including both administrative and technical, with particular focus on remediation (in-situ and ex-situ).
SLR Canada Website: Global Leaders in Sustainability Solutions | SLR Consulting
Olaf Starck, P.Eng
Member
Olaf attained his Mechanical Engineering Degree from UBC in 1984. On graduation he joined the Canadian Armed Forces as a Marine Systems Engineering Officer. He was honorably discharged in 1989 at the rank of naval Lieutenant (equivalent to army Captain).
Thereafter Olaf moved to Prince George and began his pulp industry career at the Northwood Pulp Company. He earned his Professional Engineer (P.Eng) designation in October 1990.
In 1994 Olaf was selected to head the successful $14million Northwood Recaust Upgrade Project and thereafter the $25M Brownstock Washing Upgrade Program.
Following these major projects and several others, Olaf formalized the capital project knowledge that he had developed into the Northwood Capital Project Procedures. These procedures were adopted by Canfor after the 2001 Northwood/Canfor merger and have become the basis for all Canfor Pulp project practices.
In 2003 Olaf was appointed to the position of Northwood engineering manager and thereafter entrusted with leading the inquiry into significant cost overruns on the 2004 $100M PG Pulpmill energy upgrade project. In 2009 he was appointed Manager for the $180M 3-year Canfor Pulp Green Transformation Program. On completion of Green Transformation he returned to the Northwood Pulpmill as Engineering Manager.
In 2007 Olaf attained his PMP certification from the Project Management Institute, and continues to hold the designation to this day.
In 2008 Olaf became part of the Northern Technology & Engineering Society—a lobby group that focused on bringing engineering and technology education to Northern BC. The group was active between 2008 and 2016. The Society was one of the key voices that helped to establish the engineering program at UNBC
In the ensuing years Olaf continued to shape project practices and procedures within the Canfor Pulp group. His continued push to incorporate new project learning’s into the Canfor Pulp procedures, advanced the Company project culture to the point where Canfor Pulp is an industry leader in project practices. The latest development was a focus on improving the Canfor Pulp culture around process safety management principles and management of change.
Olaf retired from Canfor Pulp in December 2020. He continues to support the engineering community as the Chair of the Central Interior Branch of EGBC and the Treasurer of the local Iron Ring society.
Olaf has 2 grown children and resides in Prince George with Andrea, his wife of 32 years.
Paul Mysak, P.Eng
Member
As a professional engineer registered with EGBC, Paul specializes in the survey and design of resource roads and bridges. Work in the resource sector in BC and the Yukon has included such diverse projects as multi-span permanent bridges, critical lift plans, machine retrievals on steep slopes, recreational trails and footbridges, stream channel restoration and rehabilitation, and peak flow calculations and hydraulic modelling for both flood hazard assessments and barge crossings of large rivers. After graduating from the University of New Brunswick, Paul spent 6 ½ years working on the coast from Vancouver Island to Haida Gwaii. Since 2015 he has been based in Prince George as the Northern Interior Manager and one of the principals of Onsite Engineering Ltd.
Website: https://onsite-eng.ca/
Sam Nunoo, PhD, P.Eng
Member
Sam Nunoo is an accomplished mining and tailings professional with nearly 20 years of experience in the mining and consulting industries. He specializes in geotechnical engineering, environmental management, and infrastructure development, with expertise in slope stability, tailings storage facilities, environmental management and ground control systems.
Currently, Sam serves as Manager of Engineering & Infrastructure at Mount Milligan Mine, where he leads multidisciplinary teams in capital projects, tailings engineering, water resources, and environmental management. He has also held senior leadership roles at Gibraltar Mine Ltd., where he oversaw geotechnical and environmental services, regulatory compliance, and risk management for critical infrastructure.
Sam holds a PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of British Columbia and has contributed extensively to academic research and publications in geotechnical engineering. His work reflects a commitment to innovation, safety, and sustainability in mining operations. He is a registered professional engineer with the Engineering and Geoscientist BC.
Website: https://www.centerragold.com/operations/mount-milligan/
Shiloh Carlson, P.Eng
Member
Shiloh is currently a Senior Geotechnical Engineer with the Ministry of Transportation and Transit and has over 20 years of experience in the field of Geotechnical Engineering. Shiloh grew up in Prince George and left to complete a BASc in Geological Engineering at UBC. Following graduation Shiloh found herself back in Prince George working in consulting engineering working on projects throughout Western Canada. Throughout her professional career Shiloh had been an advocate for engineering in the North at UNBC.
Sidney Friend, P.Eng
Member
Sidney was born and raised in Vancouver, BC and completed the Environmental Engineering program at UBC/UNBC in 2017. Since graduation, Sidney has been lucky enough to spend her entire career at Allnorth. Allnorth is a multidisciplinary Engineering and Construction Services company with offices all across North America. In her time at Allnorth Sidney has held various positions including field technician, civil engineer-in-training, Construction Services coordination, construction services manager, project management group lead, assistant division manager, and she has been the Operations Leader for the past 2 years. In her spare time, Sidney enjoys playing sports, travelling, doing outdoor activities, and giving back to the community. Sidney is a mentor for the UBC Engineering Mentorship program and a board member on the Resource Connector North board.
Website: https://www.allnorth.com/
Stefan Muller, P.Eng
Member
As Chief Operating Officer for Arbios Biotech, Stef is a results-driven technical leader, and is passionate about accelerating global decarbonization. Leading operations, technology development and project delivery in the forest-based biomass industry for more than 20 years, Stef’s long-range goal is to maximize the economic and environmental value of residuals. He does this by leading every stage of large decarbonization infrastructure projects from concept to fruition.
Prior to joining Arbios Biotech, Stef held the position of President at Vyterra Renewables and SVP Project Engineering at Ensyn where he oversaw the design, engineering, and construction of Canada’s largest biofuel facility. Stef has held various other roles in senior management within related fields, including engineering, business development, operations and research and development, and is the co-inventor on several patents. Stef is a chemical engineer and received both his BEng and MEng from McGill University.
Website: Arbios Biotech - Biofuels for better