Jason Young, B.E.Sc., M.A.Sc., P.Eng., President
The President and founding partner of Advantage Forensics® Inc., Jason Young, P.Eng., is a recognized top forensic expert in Canada, featured in the media and on expert panels for his vast knowledge in Collision Reconstruction and Human Factors. Jason is known among insurers and lawyers for his attention to detail, sharp analytic skills, highly effective reports, honest approach, and extensive trial experience. Jason has investigated over 2000 claims for insurers, lawyers, municipalities and the Provincial government over the past 18 years, including landmark successes for clients at trial in many high profile criminal and tort cases. Jason heads up our Collision Reconstruction team and Human Factors team, and has been at the leading edge of Human Factors forensic research in nighttime visibility, water park friction testing and staircase gait. Jason has a Master’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering and a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Jason lectures regularly to the insurance and legal industries across North America and has personally trained over 40 experts in collision reconstruction and personal injury investigation. When not solving forensic cases, Jason enjoys hiking, canoeing, golf, and skiing with his family.
Kyle Serkies, B.A.Sc., M.A.Sc., P.Eng., Vice President
Kyle Serkies joined the Advantage Forensics team in 2015 after completing his Masters Degree in Biomedical Engineering and Material Engineering from the University of Toronto. Kyle is a Vice President of the firm and is a Senior member of our Materials Failure Team with specialization in fracture analysis, our Collision Reconstruction Team with specialization in motorcycle collisions, and our Fire Investigation Team with specialization in vehicle and product fires. Kyle is a registered Professional Engineer and is a member of the American Society for Testing & Materials, the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society, and the American Society for Metals. Kyle was the recipient of the NSERC USRA award in 2011 and the U of T Nanotechnology Summer Fellowship Award in 2011. Kyle in an experienced motorcyle instructor and has published scientific peer-reviewed papers on material failure. Kyle is currently pursuing his Certified Fire Examiner designation. When he is not analyzing fracture surfaces, Kyle enjoys football, performance bikes, and exploring the end of the road in northern Canada and abroad.
Essam Dabbour, Ph.D.,P.Eng., Vice President
Essam Dabbour joined Advantage Forensics in 2019 as a Road Design and Traffic Safety specialist on the Collision Reconstruction team and has been a Vice President of the firm since 2021. Dr. Dabbour has a Doctorate Degree in Civil Engineering from Ryerson University, specializing in Road Design and Traffic Safety. Dr. Dabbour has 10 years of post-doctorate university teaching experience, teaching numerous courses in Road Design and Traffic Safety Assessment in the Civil Engineering department of various universities. Dr. Dabbour has designed sections of 400-series freeways in Ontario and has a wealth of consulting engineering experience in Road Design and Traffic Safety. Dr. Dabbour’s expertise includes all aspects of Road Design and Traffic Safety, including design of geometric road features, road signage, freeway interchanges, roadside hazard safety, rail crossing design and warning systems, winter road maintenance, road drainage, traffic capacity analysis, transit design and placement, bicycle lanes, roundabouts, HOV lane design, and guardrail/barrier design. Dr. Dabbour has lectured worldwide at numerous Road Design and Traffic Safety international conferences and has published many scientific journal papers from his Road Design and Traffic Safety research studies. When Essam is not reviewing the safety of our roads in Ontario, he enjoys spending time with his family, reading, and movies.
Gary Howard, B.Sc., P.Eng., C.Eng., Consultant
Gary Howard is a renowned and accomplished expert in Materials Engineering and Failure Analysis, and a Senior member of our Material Failure team. Gary holds a Consulting Engineering designation from the Professional Engineers of Ontario and has been practicing in materials failure and code compliance for the past three decades. Gary has a Bachelors of Science in Materials Engineering from Queen’s University and twenty years of experience in material failure investigation, having participated in over 3000 forensic investigations. Gary also brings to our team 12 years of occupational health and safety experience as a Safety Engineer with the Workers Compensation Board of BC. Gary has developed particular specialization in a number of unique areas of failure analysis and code compliance, including: water valve fitting & hose failures; fuel oil & tank failures; machine guarding, crane rig & hoist failures; sawmill safety; vehicle components; refrigeration systems; propane & natural gas codes; and weld failures. Gary is an active member on various technical committees of the CSA, NFPA, and ISO. When he is not examining failed components under the microscope, Gary enjoys golf, travel, woodwork, and auto racing.
Michael Sinnott, B.S., M.S., P.Eng., Consultant
Michael Sinnott is the Owner of BioLogic Forensics LLC and is a senior consultant on our Biomechanics team and Collision Reconstruction team. Michael is an accomplished and well-respected forensic engineering and biomechanics expert, having been retained by almost all Ontario insurers and having investigated over 1200 collisions and personal injury claims since 2005. Michael has Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Mechanical Engineering & Biomechanics from Michigan State University and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario. Michael has vast knowledge and experience in both collision reconstruction and slips, trips and falls. Michael has been qualified in Superior Court as an expert in both Injury Biomechanics and Collision Reconstruction, and has published numerous scientific peer-reviewed research papers. Michael is a member of SAE, the Biomedical Engineering Society, and the American Society of Biomechanics, and has lectured throughout Ontario as an expert in Injury Biomechanics and Collision Reconstruction. When Michael is not calculating changes in momentum and impulse energy, he enjoys the relaxing beaches and waves of his Hawaii island paradise.
Andrey Rudenko, B.Sc., CFEI, CVFI, P.Eng., Consultant
Andrey Rudenko is the Owner of AVR Forensics and is the lead consultant on our Fire Investigation team. Andrey is a highly-respected and talented Canadian fire and explosion investigator with over 20 years experience in expert forensic investigation of fire scenes and electrical failure. Andrey has a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering, is a licensed Professional Engineer, and is both a Certified Fire & Explosion Investigator and a Certified Vehicle Fire Investigator. Andrey has a vast wealth of expertise in Mechanical and Electrical Industrial Equipment failure, including boilers, HVAC, piping, lighting, wiring, power systems, appliances, and commercial products. Andrey is a member of both the Canadian Association of Fire Investigators and the National Association of Fire Investigators. Andrey has been retained as a fire & electrical failure expert by almost of the major insurers across Canada and is well-known for his attention to detail and wealth of knowledge that he applies to each case. When he is not documenting fire scenes, Andrey enjoys reading, spending time with his family, and travel.
Harshvir Singh, B.Eng., M.Eng.
Harshvir Singh joined the Advantage Forensics team in 2020 as a Junior investigator on the Fire Investigation, Product Failure, and Collision Reconstruction teams, after completing his Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Queen’s University. Harshvir has expertise in power systems, electrical design, electronics, electrical fire protection, and electrical standards and codes (NFPA, IEEE, IEC, ANSI). Harshvir has designed and built smart device interfaces, power converters, electrical vehicle battery chargers, and solar power supply circuits. Harshvir also gained practical experience in power transmission while working at a power utility 220kV substation. Harshvir is currently pursuing his Certified Fire Examiner designation. When Harshvir is not determining the cause of electronics fires and wiring failures, he enjoys soccer, competitive cricket, and playing drums.
Brandon Braga, B.Eng.
Brandon Braga joined the Advantage Forensics team in 2020 as a Junior investigator on the Collision Reconstruction and Product Failure teams after completing his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Guelph with a specialization in product manufacturing and an additional 2 years of university coursework in pre-med sciences. Brandon has worked hands-on in engine assembly at Fiat Chrysler and has extensive training in 3D computer design, modelling & simulation. When he is not determining impact speeds, Brandon enjoys football, competitive soccer, and spending quality time travelling with family and friends.
Randy Mawson, Consultant
Randy Mawson is President of Forensic Climatology Consulting Inc. and is a senior consultant on our Collision Reconstruction team and Biomechanics team, specializing in weather and meteorology forensics. Randy has extensive court experience as a forensic weather expert since 1975. Randy has held many positions with Environment Canada and is a member of Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society and Weatheradio Committee. He has received many awards with his establishment of CANWARN , a successful severe weather spotting program. In 2012, he was given special recognition and an award for the establishment and leadership of the largest volunteer spotter network in Canada. Randy has lectured on numerous occassions, including Air Cadet training and Advanced Aviation Meteorology. When he is not staring at the sky, Randy enjoys woodworking, fishing, golf and billiards.
Greg Jamieson, Ph.D.,P.Eng., Consultant
Greg Jamieson is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto’s Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, and is a Senior consultant on our Human Factors team. Dr. Jamieson specializes in cognitive human factors, including display interface design and assessment, control systems, large loss industrial systems failures, workplace injuries, and decision-making / safety response assessments. He is an active member of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and has authored dozens of papers on human factors. Dr. Jamieson completed his Doctorate in Human Factors in 2003 and is an active researcher in the field of situational awareness in a variety of settings, including nuclear power plant facilities, hydro-electric facilities, petroleum facilities, commercial transport hauling/dispatch, and combat systems, among others. When Greg is not teaching, supervising graduate students, or consulting, he enjoys spending quality time with his family.
Rebecca Young, B.A.Sc., Consultant
Rebecca Young is a Senior consultant at Advantage Forensics specializing in computer forensics, data retrieval, I.T. systems, and custom software development. Rebecca also manages our Advantage4Safety program, including our slip testing audit program and our facility hazard assessment program. Rebecca has a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto and has over 20 years experience in custom software programming, computer hardware development, microchip testing, I.T./web system development, and management consulting. When Rebecca is not busy writing scripts and macros, she enjoys basketball, reading, and travelling.
Douglas R. Lamb, Certified Vehicle Mechanic, Consultant
Douglas Lamb is the Owner of Exceltec Auto Services in Markham, Ontario and is a Senior consultant on our Collision Reconstruction team. Douglas has conducted thousands of collision vehicle mechanical inspections and investigations. Douglas has been a certified Class A vehicle mechanic since 1974 and has worked with thousands of differenct makes and models of cars, SUVs, vans, motorcycles, and rare custom and refurbished collector vehicles. Douglas is a renowned and accomplished forensic expert witness in the vehicle mechanic consulting industry, specializing in vehicle component failure investigation and collision fraud investigation. Douglas has consulted for the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council tribunals since 1998. When Douglas is not busy repairing vehicles or consulting, he enjoys hockey, football, stock car racing, and collecting hobby vehicles.