Dr. Raywat Deonandan

Dr. Raywat Deonandan is an educator, novelist, scientist and journalist with the cultural heritage of three nations: India, Guyana and Canada. A professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa, Raywat is a generalist in the field of Global Health, with a special interest in defining and defending the rights of marginalized peoples. He recently completed a one year term as the Chief Scientific Advisor to the Canadian federal government on the topic of Assisted Human Reproduction.

As an author, Raywat's multitude of works, both in fiction and non-fiction, has been published in nine countries and in seven languages. His first book, "Sweet Like Saltwater", short stories about the Indo-Caribbean diaspora, was awarded the national book prize of the nation of Guyana; and his novel about religion, science and romance, called "Divine Elemental", was also internationally critically acclaimed. He presently sits on the Board of Directors of Harbourfront Centre, one of Canada's biggest and most active interdisciplinary Arts centres, and writes a regular blog for the MicroSoft Canada website.

Through his two consulting firms, Raywat consults to businesses, academia, NGOs and media in the fields of science research, design, analysis, interpretation and communication.