Sophia Sanniti is the Research Associate for WRI’s Faith and Sustainability initiative where she conducts rigorous research on the values, behaviours, initiatives and assets of faith-based organizations to enhance their capacity as climate justice advocates.

Prior to joining WRI, Sophia was the Ecological Economics Intern at the Vatican's largest office, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, where she drafted speeches and issue briefings on priority issues related to oceans, climate change, migration, and natural resource development. Sophia completed her PhD in 2022 examining household behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown to better understand opportunities and barriers to transforming economic systems during times of unplanned disruption.

She also has a proven track record for advancing sustainability principles in practice, particularly through her extensive community service experience with the Canadian (CANSEE) and International (ISEE) Societies for Ecological Economics. In 2019, Sophia Chaired CANSEE’s Engaging Economies of Change conference which aimed to both celebrate and exemplify the types of alternative economies and societies ecological economists aim to foster. This included facilitating free childcare, a public lecture, mural painting and makers space, and developing strong partnerships with local businesses and vendors to minimize environmental harm and maximize community and economic impact. Sophia takes seriously the importance of embodying the change we wish to see, and implements this through principles of dialogue, partnership and organizing.

Sophia holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies which she completed in partnership with Economics for the Anthropocene (E4A) and the Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP), and a Bachelor’s degree in Environment and Business which included work experience in both the public and private sectors.