Helena Shilomboleni is an Assistant Professor in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability and the Department of Geography and Environmental Management at the University of Waterloo. She is also a Fellow at the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Waterloo. 

Her research areas of expertise are agriculture and food security, climate smart agriculture, scaling innovations in smallholder farming systems, and food systems sustainability, and has applied research experience working with small-scale farmers and practitioners in East and Southern Africa. She previously held a Post-doctoral Fellowship with the formerly Consultative Group of International Agriculture Research based in Nairobi, Kenya, and a Professional Development Award with Canada’s International Development Research Center in Ottawa. Her research and work also enabled her to engage different policy networks, including Global Affairs Canada & the Namibian Permanent Mission to the United Nations.