CERCL

About Us

CERCL (Chemical Engineering Research Consultants Ltd.) has been providing expertise to industry, government, and the legal and insurance professions for more than 40 years. The firm was founded in 1963 by the professoriate of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry at the University of Toronto as a means of providing access for the public to the extensive expertise in the Department. Today, CERCL consists of 37 Professors of Chemical Engineering, who consult in their various areas of specialization. Most of CERCL’s consultants are recognized internationally for their research and expertise. For a complete list of our consultants and their areas of interest, please see our Consultants list.

Our consultants have an interest in a variety of disciplines of Chemical Engineering, Applied Chemistry, and Materials Science. For a breakdown of the general areas of currently available through CERCL, please see our Expertise page.

Our consultants are available to provide general technical assistance to industry, expert opinions for the legal and insurance professions. In addition the specialized and extensive Facilities of the University of Toronto can be accessed on a fee for service basis. For more information on the various types of services that we offer, please see our Services page.

Edgar Acosta

B.Sc. (Universidad del Zulia – Venezuela), M.A.Sc., Ph.D. (University of Oklahoma),Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Areas of expertise Interfacial curvature of surface active compounds Low surface tension films...

D. Grant Allen

B.A.Sc., M.A.Sc.(University of Toronto), Ph.D. ( Waterloo ), P.Eng.Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Areas of Expertise Bioprocess engineering for production of chemicals, fuels and materials Biological waste...

Gisele Azimi

B.A.Sc. and M.A.Sc. (Sharif University of Technology), Ph.D. (Toronto), P.Eng, Post-doc (MIT)Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of TorontoCanada Research Chair in Urban Mining Innovationco-Director, Ontario Centre for the...

Timothy Bender

B.Sc., Ph.D. (Carleton)Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Areas of expertise Organic Chemical Process: batch processing, continuous flow processing, scalability, energy input, sustainability Organic...

Ariel Chan

Ph.D. (Queen’s), P.Eng.Associate Professor, Teaching StreamDepartment of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of TorontoCross-appointed to Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education and Practice (ISETP) Areas of Expertise...

Arthur Chan

B.S. (University of Pennsylvania), M.S., Ph.D. (California Institute of Technology) Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Areas of expertise Environmental Chemistry Air Quality Analytical Chemistry...

Y-H. Cathy Chin

B.Sc. (Oklahoma), M.Sc. (Oklahoma), Ph.D. (UC Berkeley)Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Areas of expertise Applications of multidisciplinary research strategy (kinetic and isotopic techniques,...

Will Cluett

B.Sc. (Queen’s), Ph.D. (Alberta), F.C.I.C., P.Eng. Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Contact Phone: (416) 978-5889 Email: will.cluett@utoronto.ca Research Areas Process identification, control and design About...

Nikolai DeMartini

Director of Pulp & Paper Centre, NSERC Industrial Research Chair in the Role of Inorganics in the Industrial Processing of Woody Biomass, Associate Professor, Dept. of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Contact Phone: (416) 978-4318...

Levente Diosady

Ph.D., P.Eng., C.Eng, C.F.S., OC, O.Ont, F.C.I.C, F.C.A.E., F.C.I.F.S.T., F.A.O.C.S., F.I.A.Fo.S.T., F.E.C., F.R.S.C.Professor Emeritus, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Areas of Expertise Food process engineering...

Elizabeth Edwards

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 Areas of Expertise Environmental microbiology and bioremediation...

Greg Evans

B.A.Sc., M.A.Sc., Ph.D. (UofT), P.Eng., FCAE, FAAAS Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Director, Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education and Practice (ISTEP) Director, Southern Ontario...

Ramin Farnood

B.A.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D. (Toronto), P.Eng. Professor and Chair, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Areas of Expertise Papermaking Ultraviolet disinfection Advanced oxidation Mathematical modeling Current Projects...

Daniela Galatro

MSc (UNEXPO), PhD (Toronto)Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Dept. of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Areas of expertise Machine learning applied to process engineering design, simulation, monitoring, troubleshooting, control,...

Rachel Gregor

B.Sc. and Ph.D (Ben-Gurion University), Postdoc (MIT)Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Areas of expertise Untargeted metabolomics Environmental and marine microbiology Drug discovery Multi-omics Marine...

Frank Gu

B.Sc. (Trent), PhD (Queen’s), Postdoc (MIT-Harvard)NSERC Senior Industrial Research Chair in Nanotechnology EngineeringProfessor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Areas of Expertise Nanomaterials engineering: synthesis of...

Charles Jia

B.E., M.E. ( Chongqing ), Ph.D. (McMaster), P.Eng.Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Areas of Expertise Water and air purification Waste valorization Persistent organic pollutants Energy storage materials...

Donald Kirk

B.A.Sc., M.A.Sc., Ph.D. (University of Toronto), P.Eng.Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Areas of Expertise Electrochemical Technologies Corrosion failures New Technology Evaluation Expert witness Current...

Yuri Lawryshyn

B.A.Sc. (University of Toronto), M.A.Sc. (Toronto), Ph.D. (Toronto), M.B.A. (Western Ontario),Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto. Areas of Expertise Real options research Applied Financial Research Applied CFD...

Chris Lawson

B.A.Sc., M.A.Sc. (UBC), Ph.D. (Wisconsin), Post-doc (Berkeley Lab) Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Areas of Expertise Industrial biotechnology Environmental microbiology Bioprocess engineering...

Krishna Mahadevan

B.Tech. (Indian Institute of Technology), Ph.D. (Delaware)Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Areas of expertise Systems biology Synthetic biology Metabolic engineering and metabolic modeling and model-based...

Emma Master

B.Sc. (McGill), Ph.D. (UBC), Post-doc., KTH, Stockholm Sweden Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto. Areas of expertise Discovery, design and production of enzymes and non-catalytic proteins that can be used to...

Alison Mcguigan

MEng. (Oxford), PhD (Toronto), Post-Doc (Harvard, Stanford).Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Areas of expertise Tissue engineering and disease modelling Biological image analysis Cellular assay development...

Mohamad Moosavi

B.Sc. (Sharif Univ.), M.Sc. & Ph.D. (EPFL) Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Areas of expertise AI for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Molecular Modelling Porous Materials and Carbon Capture...

Bertrand Neyhouse

B.Sc. (Ohio University), Ph.D. (MIT), Postdoc (Michigan) Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Areas of expertise Design and scale-up of electrochemical systems Sustainable energy conversion technologies...

Vlad Papangelakis

D.Eng., M.Eng , Ph.D. (McGill)Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Areas of expertise Hydrometallurgy Process modelling Flowsheet development Aqueous chemistry Current Projects Bioremediation of sulfidic tailings...

Milica Radisic

B.Eng. McMaster University (1999), Ph.D. MIT (2004), Post-doc Harvard-MIT Division of Health Science and Technology (2005)Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Areas of Expertise Organoids Organs-on-a-chip Drug...

Arun Ramchandran

B. Chem. Eng. (Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai), Ph.D. (University of Notre Dame), P.Eng.Professor and Canada Research Chair in Engineered Soft Materials and Interfaces, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Areas of...

Benjamin Sanchez-Lengeling

B.Sc (Guanajuato), M.Sc. (Erasmus Mundus, Valencia), Ph.D. (Harvard) Assistant Professor, Dept. of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Areas of expertise Designing computer-robotic systems that augment our human capacity for engineering...

Brad Saville

Ph.D. (University of Alberta), P. Eng.Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto. Areas of Expertise Production of Biofuels and Bioproducts from Biomass and Renewable Resources Technoeconomic Assessment and Life Cycle...

Michael Sefton

B.A.Sc., Sc.D. (MIT), P.Eng. University Professor and Michael E. Charles Chair in Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, and Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto Areas of expertise...

Molly Shoichet

B.Sc. (MIT), M.Sc., Ph.D. (Massachusetts)University Professor and Canada Research Chair in Tissue Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, Dept. of Chemistry, University of Toronto. Areas of expertise Polymers, fluoropolymers,...

Nicole Weckman

BASc (Waterloo), MEng (McGill), PhD (Cambridge), Postdoc (Harvard) Assistant Professor, Dept. of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto & ISTEP Areas of Expertise Sensor design with a focus on biosensors Synthetic biology especially with...

Jay Werber

B.Sc. (Washington Univ. St. Louis), M.Sc., Ph.D. (Yale), Post-doc (Minnesota)Assistant Professor, Dept. of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Areas of expertise Membrane materials and membrane separation processes Synthesis and...

Ning Yan

B. Eng. (Southeast), Ph.D. (Toronto), P.Eng.Professor, Department of Forestry, cross-appointed to the Dept. of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Areas of expertise Lignocellulosic biomaterials engineering Forest and agriculture residue...

Chris Yip

B.A.Sc.( Toronto ), Ph.D. ( Minnesota ), P.Eng.Dean of Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, Department of Biochemistry, University of...

Weilai Yu

B.Sc. (Wuhan), Ph.D (Caltech), Postdoc (Stanford)Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto Areas of Expertise Advanced battery materials and interfacial engineering Electrochemical and solar-driven systems for...

Expertise

Although we have consultants with expertise in virtually all areas of chemical engineering, we do have particular strength in the following subdisciplines:

Bioremediation, Groundwater Contamin, Analytical Chemistry
Biomedical and Biomolecular
Extractive Metallurgy and Sustainability
Financial Valuation
Informatics
Technology
Waste treatment and valorisation

Facilities

CERCL’s consultants are generally able to use the extensive facilities in the University of Toronto on a fee-for-service basis. The University, with 50,000 students and thousands of laboratories, has a wide variety of both common and highly specialized facilities, many of which are not available elsewhere.

Consultants

Many of CERCL’s consultants are internationally recognized researchers who are considered to be leaders in their fields. They maintain active research groups with Master’s and Ph.D. students, Post Doctoral Fellows and other technical staff. They attend international conferences regularly to stay abreast of the latest developments in their fields. They teach classes in Chemical Engineering fundamentals and various application areas.