B.Eng., M.Eng (McGill), Ph.D. (Stanford), P.Eng., Canada Research Chair in Anaerobic Biotechnology.
University Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto
Contact
Phone: (416) 946-3506
Fax: (416) 978-8605
Email: edwards@chem-eng.utoronto.ca
Research Areas
Environmental Microbiology, Biotechnology and genomics. Biodegradation of chlorinated solvents and petroleum hydrocarbons in groundwater
Consulting Activity
Bioremediation, Biological processes, Groundwater contamination, analytical chemistry
About
Elizabeth Edwards is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry at the University of Toronto. She obtained her B.Eng. (1983) and M.Eng. (1985) degrees in Chemical Engineering from McGill University, Montreal, specializing in biomedical engineering. From 1985-1988, she worked for J.E. Seagrams and Sons on optimizing fermentation conditions in their pilot plant. She then went to Stanford University to pursue a doctorate in Environmental Engineering and Science where she obtained her PhD in 1993. From 1992 to 1995, she worked at Beak Consultants limited in Guelph, Ontario as an environmental consultant. In 1995 she began as an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at McMaster University in Hamilton, and then moved to the University of Toronto in 1997.
Professor Edwards is interested in applied and environmental microbiology, and microbial bioprocesses. She has expertise in bioremediation, and in particular, anaerobic microbial processes in groundwater, such as reductive dechlorination of chlorinated solvents and biodegradation of perchlorate and aromatic hydrocarbons. Her research involves developing analytical tools for monitoring chemicals and microbes in the environment, and characterizing novel microbial processes. She has published more than 30 papers in refereed journals, and has many conference presentations and other scholarly addresses. In 2003, she was awarded a Premier’s Research Excellence Award.
Professor Edwards provides advice on the fate of common organic chemical contaminants, such as tetrachloroethene, trichloroethene, vinyl chloride, and aromatic compounds, in groundwater, analytical and molecular methods for measuring concentrations of contaminants, and on bioremediation and biotechnology in general. Professor Edwards is also available to provide advice on SR&ED tax claims, and on patents related to her fields of expertise.
Complete CV available upon request.