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Meet the Judges for the 2026 3MT Finals
Mary Ann Middleton
MARY ANN MIDDLETON is a hydrogeologist and water resources professional with both her BSc ('06) and PhD ('16) in Earth Sciences from Simon Fraser University. Her doctoral research developed a Vlnerability Assessment Method for Groundwater-dependent Streams, advancing how we understand the connection between groundwater and surface water systems. During her PhD, she competed in SFU’s inaugural 3 Minute Thesis competition in 2013, where she advanced to the semi-finals and strengthened her commitment to making science accessible and relevant.
Her research has contributed to the BC Water Science Series and has supported the evolution of groundwater policy in British Columbia. Today, she continues to apply this work in industry, championing the role of groundwater–surface water interactions in protecting receiving environments and informing regulatory decision-making.
Mary Ann now serves as Chief Partnerships and Growth Officer at an Canadian owned environmental consulting firm, where she supports water resources planning, compliance, and strategic growth initiatives. Her career reflects the practical value of Earth Sciences and hydrogeology in supporting responsible resource development, strengthening environmental policy, and underpinning key sectors of British Columbia’s economy, including critical minerals and mining.
PAMELA SAUNDERS is the Site Director for Microsoft’s R+D campus in Vancouver and proud SFU alumna. With more than 25 years in corporate communications across a variety of industries, she joined the company in 2016 to shape regional investment through collaborative partnerships. Today, she oversees site strategy and employee engagement, with a continued focus on positioning British Columbia’s tech ecosystem as a global leader. Pamela is an advocate for the power of community driven innovation. She serves on the Cascadia Innovation Corridor Steering Committee, the Canadian Digital Marketing Sector Council and the Gastown Business Improvement Society Board of Directors.
Pamela Saunders
Dugan O'Neil
DUGAN O'NEIL was born in Miramichi, New Brunswick, obtained a BSc. at the University of New Brunswick, an MSc. at the University of Alberta and PhD in physics at the University of Victoria. As a professor of physics at Simon Fraser University, his research has focused on the search for new particles and interactions at high energy particle colliders at Fermilab and CERN. From single top quarks to Higgs bosons, his contributions have tended to focus on the "big data" problem of extraction of small signals from large backgrounds.
In addition to his work as a particle physicist, O'Neil has played a leadership role in building Canada's Digital Research Infrastructure, through work with WestGrid and Compute Canada. This includes spending three years (2014-2017) as Compute Canada's Chief Science Officer. At SFU, he has served as principal investigator of the institution's advanced research computing efforts since 2010. SFU has recently built Supercomputer Cedar, one of Canada's most powerful academic supercomputers. O’Neil served as SFU’s Associate Vice-President, Research (AVPR) from 2017-2020.
As SFU's Vice-President, Research and Innovation (VPRI), O'Neil leads SFU’s strategic research initiatives and champions SFU’s innovation strategy and the many initiatives within its innovation ecosystem.
Learn from the 2026 SFU Finalists!
Check out this year's competitors participating in the Finals.