Kathleen Vaillancourt, PhD, MBA

President and Founder

Dr Kathleen Vaillancourt is a professional entrepreneur with 20 years of experience in 3E (energy-economy-environment) system modelling and consulting.

  • She is the founder of ESMIA Consultants (Canada) and the main instigator of the North American TIMES Energy Model (NATEM) that is used to support various stakeholders in prestigious organizations across North America.
  • She leads numerous projects involving energy system model development and their applications for supporting decision-making on energy policies and cost-effective carbon mitigation strategies.
  • She advises governments, utilities, technology suppliers, and energy consultants in North America on cost optimal mitigation strategies (short-term) and decarbonisation pathways (long-term).

She is an internationally recognized expert in energy system optimization and involved in the activities of the International Energy Agency’s ETSAP program alongside the world’s best-in-class MARKAL/TIMES modellers (the most advanced optimisation modelling platform). In Canada, she is on the board of the Energy Modelling Initiative (EMI), a large initiative funded by the federal government to establish a pan-Canadian open-source electricity modelling platform.

She has participated in the development of energy models for major international organizations, including the European Commission, the International Energy Agency, the United States Department of Energy, the Quebec Ministry of Finance and multinational oil companies. She has participated in numerous projects that require strong analytical skills for studying complex issues, defining net-zero pathways and studying the impacts of national climate targets or policies on the economy and the energy system. She has developed a strong expertise in energy technology innovation.

She holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from the Université du Québec à Montréal and an MBA from HEC Montréal.