Name：Dr. HIRA, Anil
Period：Jan 6 to Mar 9, 2026
Affiliation：Professor/Chair of Dept., Simon Fraser University
Research Topic：Comparing and Improving Plastic Waste Management Strategies

Dr. HIRA, Anil (Andy) is Professor of Political Science at Simon Fraser University (Vancouver, Canada). He is trained as political economist and has a broad interdisciplinary background in international development studies, Latin American studies, energy and environmental policy. He was previously a Visiting Scholar with Global Affairs Canada and the Chair of the Department of Political Science. Andy is the Director of the Clean Energy Research Group (https://www.sfu.ca/politics/CERG.html), a network of over 230 academics, professionals, journalists, and students that produces policy-related research on climate change through policy briefs, interviews and op-eds with media, and specific project consultations for government and stakeholders.

During his stay, he will prepare a book chapter and report on plastic waste reduction strategies with Professor Misuzu Asari of RIHN and her project members and will actively interact with people related to the circular economy and clean energy through tours of industrial sites, interviews and lectures. These will culminate in a plastic waste workshop and public forum in Vancouver, Canada on April 9, 2026, where the team will present their findings on comparing Japanese and Canadian plastic waste strategies. Dr. Hira will be giving guest lectures on clean energy issues at the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies (https://www.isep.or.jp/)and the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences (https://www.jinsha.tsukuba.ac.jp/) at Tsukuba University. Additionally, in Kyoto, he will be giving a talk on Canada's plastics-related policies at a session on the circular economy at the Green Co-Creation EXPO 2026 (https://eco.kyoto-u.ac.jp/sdgs/kyoto-times/7446/), which will be held on February 13-14.