Our Social Science Alumni | Department of Social Science

Meet our passionate and accomplished alumni. We are proud of the positive impact our Department of Social Science graduates are making in their communities and around the world. Find out all the ways our alumni are providing inspiration, bringing about change and providing mentorship for students.

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Top 30 Under 30 - 2024

York University has announced its Top 30 Alumni Under 30 for 2024, and this year features a Social Science graduate from the Law & Society program.

John Lau

Sustainability leader
BA ’17, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

John Lau is a Senior Policy Advisor at the Ontario Energy Board's Energy Transition department. After graduating from York, John Lau helped combat climate change by working on energy and environment policy at Natural Resources Canada. John monitored and analyzed international and domestic clean energy policies and led cooperation between federal and provincial governments to report on the progress of clean energy policy implementation. John then joined the Natural Gas and Hydrogen team at Natural Resources Canada where he has led the federal government's policy and market analysis related to gaseous fuels. John also spearheaded projects focused on natural gas sector decarbonization and advancing progress toward net-zero emissions for Canada and its allies. John has been featured as a presenter at many conferences on climate change mitigation. These include conferences hosted by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Hydrogen Heating Network (HHN). John was also an independent expert reviewer for International Energy Agency (IEA) publications. John has been working to ensure that Canada’s clean-energy transition is successful and enlists participation and support from all Canadians and stakeholders. In 2020, John was recognized as one of Corporate Knight Magazine's Top 30 Under 30 Sustainability Leaders.