Meet the team

Dr. Jon Thomas, Director, EFCIE
BC Regional Innovation Chair in Canada-India Partnership Development, UFV
Associate Professor, School of Business

Dr. Jon Thomas is the Director of the Esposito Family Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (EFCIE), and the BC Regional Innovation Chair in Canada-India Partnership Development at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV). He is an Associate Professor (Innovation & Entrepreneurship) at the UFV School of Business. Prior to joining UFV, Jon was a post-doctoral researcher and taught in the Technology MBA program at Simon Fraser University. He also held a Mitacs Elevate Post-doctoral fellowship funded by SFU Beedie and CDRD Ventures, Inc. (UBC). Jon holds a PhD in Technology Management and Strategy from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, along with an MBA, and an undergraduate degree in Statistics. He received an AICTE National Doctoral Fellowship for his doctoral research on innovation in the biotechnology sector in India.

Jon has provided innovation and entrepreneurship mentoring to students, post-doctoral fellows, scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs for two decades in Canada and India. His interdisciplinary research has been published in Nature Nanotechnology, Technovation, Journal of Engineering & Technology Management, Scientometrics, and the Journal of Cleaner Production, among others. His research on science-based venture emergence is part of the curriculum used to develop the entrepreneurial capabilities of academic scientists across Canada.  

He is regularly invited to speak on innovation and entrepreneurship topics, and he is keenly interested in the pre-formation and early post-formation stages of venture emergence, particularly from university settings.

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Dr. Thillai Rajan, Professor

Thillai Rajan is a Professor in the Department of Management Studies and Head of the Centre for Research on Start-ups and Risk Financing (CREST), an Institute of Eminence Research Centre at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. His research interests encompass start-ups, ventures, and SMEs. During 2009 – 18, he edited the annual India Venture Capital and Private Equity Report. In 2020, he played a key role in the formation of innovation, Venturing, and Entrepreneurship in India Network (iVEIN), a multi-institutional consortium to research on innovation and venturing in India. He is also a co-founder of YNOS Venture Engine, a start-up set up to address the pain points of early stage entrepreneurs. From 2017 – 2022, he was also an Associate at the Mossavar Rahmani Center for Business and Government, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University. Between Aug – Dec 2022, he hosted India’s First LIVE chat show on Start-ups, The Start-up Junction, in Doordarshan Tamil, part of the National Broadcasting Network. He has been the recipient of the Fulbright Nehru Senior Research Fellowship, the Endeavour Executive Fellowship of the Government of Australia, and the Chevening Gurukul Fellowship.

Abdul Aziz Abdul Ghafoor recently completed his Bachelor of Kinesiology degree with a specialization in Active Health at the University of the Fraser Valley. He is currently working as a research assistant with Dr. Jon Thomas on a project that is focused on clinician-entrepreneurs in Canada. 

Vaibhav Bector is a final semester student at UFV pursuing a Bachelors degree in Business Administration. Vaibhav is passionate about using his skills to create positive change in the world and is currently working on a research project exploring renewable energy technologies for public transport in Canada and India. His goal is to investigate innovative solutions that will not only promote clean energy but also foster strong relationships between the two nations. In his free time, Vaibhav enjoys playing Football, gaming, and volunteering in multiple Enactus UFV projects. He was also a part of the Enactus UFV team which emerged as a winner of the Enactus Regional Climate Challenge 2023. He is excited to be a part of UFV's Innovation Centre and looks forward to collaborating with like-minded individuals to create a more sustainable future.

Olena Bogdanov, Student Research Assistant, EFCIE

Olena is a fourth-year student working towards a BIS degree in Data Science. She enjoys hiking, tennis, and playing piano. She wants to bridge her background in economics with data science to examine sustainable organizational practices driving smart city development. Olena says “I’m really looking forward to continuing to learn while working alongside all the awesome people at UFV’s Innovation Centre!”

Jordan Evans, Student Research Assistant, EFCIE

Jordan Evans is a Bachelor of Computer Information Systems (BCIS) student at UFV. He is also working as a student research assistant with Dr. Jon Thomas on a project titled “Exploring Innovation in the Fraser Valley.” Jordan is leveraging his technology background to shed new light on Fraser Valley inventors using data from the US Patent Office. He presented preliminary results at the ISPIM Connects Ottawa international conference in April 2019. He has also worked as a software developer for over 6 years, specializing in e-commerce solutions. 

Raman Jawanda, Student, BUS 492 (Directed Studies in Innovation & Entrepreneurship)

Raman is pursuing a BBA (majoring in Human Resource Management) and will graduate in 2021. He is working on a BUS492: Directed Studies in Innovation & Entrepreneurship project titled "Factors Affecting Organizational Innovation."

Jasleen Kaur Sandhu, Student, BUS 492 (Directed Studies in Innovation and Entrepreneurship)

Jasleen is a third-year student in the Bachelor of Computer Information Systems program, investigating emerging opportunities to fight forest fires using geographical information systems.

Trisha Kumar, EFCIE Researcher

Trisha holds an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of the Fraser Valley. She intends to pursue a Master of Science (MSc) in Management to further develop her research skills. Trisha's research experience has led her to explore various areas, including healthcare systems, workplace incivility, and urban agriculture. Currently, she is collaborating with Drs. Jon Thomas and Kirsten Robertson on multiple projects examining the orthodontic industry through an organizational behaviour and management lens. 

Jessica Levesque, President, UFV Student Union Society, Entrepreneur, and Student, BUS 492 (Directed Studies in Innovation & Entrepreneurship)

Jessica Levesque is the current President of the UFV Student Union Society and recently completed her Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in Marketing at the University of the Fraser Valley. Jessica says, "I am so excited to begin the journey of expanding my company Less House, More Home from custom carpentry pieces to a social enterprise focused on Tiny Home community development with mentoring from the Esposito Family Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship."

Balkar Sidhu, Student, BUS 492 (Directed Studies in Innovation & Entrepreneurship)

"I am currently doing my Bachelor of Integrated Studies with a minor in Organizational Studies. I am in my 5th year, as I am close to finishing my journey at UFV. The title of my BUS 492 project is, "Analyzing select aspects of the energy efficient homes industry in British Columbia."