丁香园AV

In his job in heavy-duty transportation electrification, environmental science alumnus Jerold Brito brings together stakeholders from port authorities, equipment manufacturers, terminal operators and more to discuss electric transportation technology, policies and infrastructure.

鈥淔or me, it was an under-examined part of the transportation chain when it came to electrification,鈥� Brito says. 鈥淎 lot of attention has been put on the Tesla Model 3 and the Nissan Leaf, but no one is thinking about the truck that brought their computer to the store. I wanted to focus on that.鈥�

Brito graduated from 丁香园AV upon completion of a Co-op work placement at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) in 2018. While his concentration was in water science, his work at the ECCC was in air quality research鈥攈is first introduction to the field.

鈥淭hat was kind of what led to my first job after graduation,鈥� Brito recalls.

He moved to Mississauga, Ontario shortly after completing his degree to work at a consulting firm, where he did air quality assessments for industrial and residential clients and helped them comply with government regulations.

Seeing first-hand how air quality regulations were implemented, Brito鈥檚 interest in their development grew. In 2020, he moved to the United States to pursue a master鈥檚 degree at UC Berkeley in California, where he transitioned to study energy, sustainability and transportation policy.

鈥淐alifornia has been such a leader in air quality regulations鈥攆rom way back in the 70s, when there was crazy smog in L.A.鈥攁nd also a hotbed for electric vehicle development, which has always been a personal interest of mine,鈥� he shares.

In graduate school, Brito worked at a UC Berkeley research centre, where he researched heavy-duty vehicle electrification at the Port of Oakland. He later took another job at the International Council on Clean Transportation, a research-focused NGO, before finally landing in his current role at the Electrification Coalition.

鈥淎s opposed to a lot of other electrification work that focuses on cars and passenger vehicles, my work focuses on the goods-movement sector鈥�all these heavy-duty trucks that move cargo around the country,鈥� he explains.

Part of Brito鈥檚 work involves developing informational resources and sharing them with a nationwide group called the Port Electrification Network. Brito meets regularly with members of this network and experts to discuss technological developments in vehicle electrification or how to best optimize charging infrastructure.

He also helps members of the network navigate federal programs and assists with funding applications and grant implementation.

One of the highlights of his job is getting to know others who are dedicated to creating a cleaner transportation sector, whether they come from advocacy groups or NGOs, work in government or in corporate sustainability.

He also values the environmental justice aspect of this work.

鈥淔olks living near heavy transport corridors and ports tend to be low-income communities and communities of colour, so I wanted to bring that equity lens in and focus on the communities who are really being impacted the most by this pollution,鈥� he says.

Though he may be living across the border now, Brito is still in touch with good friends from both the environmental science and resource and environmental management programs.

鈥淓very time I鈥檓 back in Vancouver, I make sure to visit them,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 fun to see where everyone has gone after undergrad and keep those connections and friendships over the years...I think we all share some common values and so it鈥檚 interesting to see where people take those values and experiences and to see their career trajectories.鈥�

As for his own career trajectory, Brito says that being open to new opportunities as they arose and marrying his experiences with his personal interests played a big part in ending up where he is today.

鈥淚 honestly don鈥檛 think I could have imagined that I鈥檇 be in California now, 13 years after I started my undergrad, with a bachelor鈥檚 and a master鈥檚鈥�it鈥檚 been quite a journey.鈥�