Catalyzing social and ecological innovation.
Catalyzing social and ecological innovation.
Why
Wonder Labs is a social enterprise based in San Jose, California, born of the need for more agile solutions to the most urgent environmental issues. Our mission is to catalyze social, ecological, and technological innovations with communities on the frontline of climate impacts.
How
We seek to fulfill our mission by facilitating convergence research, granting seed capital for community-led innovations, and co-developing FireTech solutions. Our work is guided by the United Nations Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030) and the United Nation’s Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. We adopt a comprehensive Policy, People, and Places approach to wildfire risk reduction.
What
Through our Reimagining 2025: Living with Fire program we aim to enable diverse communities across the American West to adapt to living with fire in inclusive, equitable, and just ways.
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We launched Wonder Labs in April 2020 and through the first year of the global COVID-19 pandemic, led NSF-funded longitudinal research on ‘Wildfire Preparedness and Evacuation Planning in a Pandemic’ and supported the Yuba-Bear Burn Cooperative's first prescribed burn in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California. In 2020, we incubated a fuel management technology–BurnBot––a mechanized solution for safer, cleaner, and cheaper prescribed burning at scale.
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In 2021, we catalyzed private donors and startups to better respond to California’s increasing wildfire risk, culminating in the development and release of the first State of FireTech: Progress, gaps, futures Report in 2022.
Since 2021, our Reimagining 2025: Living with Fire program and Design Challenge has showcased the potential of student-led and community-centered processes of reimagining the future of living and working with fire. |
About our founders
Shefali Juneja Lakhina, PhD
Since 2005, Shefali has worked with a range of international development and humanitarian organizations across South Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, South-East Europe, Australia, and the United States. She has led innovations in disaster risk reduction policy and programs including, development of the United Nations’ HFA Monitor in 2007, co-authoring the United Nations’ first Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction in 2009, and leading the design and delivery of an award-winning City-to-City Sharing Initiative in 2012. Shefali’s doctoral research received a high commendation from the New South Wales Office of Emergency Services’ for contributing a better understanding of how people from diverse refugee and migrant backgrounds practice safety from natural hazards in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia.
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Anukool Lakhina, PhD
In 2006, Anukool commercialized his NSF-funded doctoral research on big data streaming analytics to build Guavus, a Silicon Valley company that pioneered real-time analysis of streaming data for Fortune 500 companies. He led Guavus to industry-wide recognition. In 2013, Guavus received the Leading Lights 'Company of the Year' award. Guavus was acquired by the Thales Group in 2017. At Thales, Anukool built big data analytics solutions across a variety of sensor systems in aerospace, defense, transportation, and digital security. Anukool has more than two decades of thought leadership in large-scale data analytics and has widely published on the subject. In 2015, he received Boston University's Computer Science Distinguished Alumni award.
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Shefali Juneja Lakhina, PhD
Since 2005, Shefali has worked with a range of international development and humanitarian organizations across South Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, South-East Europe, Australia, and the United States. She has led innovations in disaster risk reduction policy and programs including, development of the United Nations’ HFA Monitor in 2007, co-authoring the United Nations’ first Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction in 2009, and leading the design and delivery of an award-winning City-to-City Sharing Initiative in 2012. Shefali’s doctoral research received a high commendation from the New South Wales Office of Emergency Services’ for contributing a better understanding of how people from diverse refugee and migrant backgrounds practice safety from natural hazards in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia.
Linkedin I Twitter
Anukool Lakhina, PhD
In 2006, Anukool commercialized his NSF-funded doctoral research on big data streaming analytics to build Guavus, a Silicon Valley company that pioneered real-time analysis of streaming data for Fortune 500 companies. He led Guavus to industry-wide recognition. In 2013, Guavus received the Leading Lights 'Company of the Year' award. Guavus was acquired by the Thales Group in 2017. At Thales, Anukool built big data analytics solutions across a variety of sensor systems in aerospace, defense, transportation, and digital security. Anukool has more than two decades of thought leadership in large-scale data analytics and has widely published on the subject. In 2015, he received Boston University's Computer Science Distinguished Alumni award.
Linkedin I Twitter
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