Amin Zargar's bio

When I was 15, I had to choose between math and biology. Math won and set the course for my life journey: from engineer to polymath.

I still love the natural world. I used to go hiking in the Himalayan foothills bird-watching. Recently, I produced documentaries on Canadian owls and falcons. They were released on the Green Channel in 2022 and 2023.

I have lived in seven countries and travelled in 22 others. My favourite country is the Sultanate of Oman. Go there and try the coffee (qahwa) & indulge in the aroma of burning frankincense. You might find you agree with me.

I speak English, et aussi Français, Pârsi zabâne mâdariam ast, wa 'atakalam qalilan min allughat el'arabia.

While in Canada, I have lived in three provinces (NL, ON, & BC). I have been a Vancouverite since 2018. I love living and learning here. I’m excited about contributing to the city’s growth through tech.

I’m a lover of movies (Andrew Niccol, Richard Linklater, the Scott brothers), electronic music (Airwave, Oliver Lieb, Vincent de Moor, and a [if not 'the'] pioneer, Jean Michel-Jarre). I regularly hit the gym and play soccer once or twice per week.

I’m also a professional engineer.

My studies have taken me around the world. I studied engineering for my BSc at Mazandaran University in Iran. I did my MTech in civil engineering at India’s top Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-Delhi).

I then worked for about a year for a consulting firm. It made me appreciate other non-student aspects of the Indian way of living.

I came to Canada for my MSc in geography at the Memorial University of Newfoundland.

I then completed my PhD in civil/environmental engineering at the University of British Columbia.

When I was a student and researcher, I won more than 10 academic awards and scholarships. I wrote or co-wrote 11 peer-reviewed articles.

I worked as a GIS Developer and Consultant at my own firm: Merlin Spatial Systems in British Columbia and Oman. I developed land-cover classification software that incorporated machine learning tech.

I have been heavily involved in acquisitions, project management and risk management.

I get great fulfilment from my work, and I like to stay busy. That’s why I’m currently managing my own firm, doing part-time consultancy and working remotely as a Senior Technical Manager for the Environmental Services Group (ESG) in Ontario.

I am ESG’s chief data authority and a Member of the Technical Management Team, leading GIS projects. I develop standards, code and tools for environmental monitoring, land cover classification, and overall data operations.

When not doing that, I’m an entrepreneur with a focus on tech development and coding, interested in modelling/forecasting and machine learning in GIS with applications for real estate.

If all that wasn’t enough to keep me busy, I’m an investment enthusiast, these days moving from public markets to private equity.

When I’m not doing any of that, I’m working on my most important job: being a proud father of two.