Hadi Mokarizadeh
Chair
Hadi is a Ph.D. student in Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta, with a background in Chemical Engineering. His previous research focused on applying membrane separation processes for industrial wastewater treatment. Currently, he is developing novel and environmentally friendly materials for the degradation of toxic contaminants in oil sand process water (OSPW) through solar-driven advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). Passionate about improving water quality and environmental equity, Hadi joined IWA-YWP as a volunteer and later served as a communication director. He also volunteers with different groups, including the Civil and Environmental Engineering Graduate Students’ Association (CEEGSA), the APEGA Student Liaison Committee (SLC), and the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research (FGSR) at the UOA.
Calvin (Tae Hyun) Chung
Co-chair
Calvin is a Ph.D. student in Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta. He is the recipient of the 2024 NSERC Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplements at Stanford University. Calvin’s research interests lie in the area of microbial electrochemical technologies (METs), where he primarily focuses on emerging MET applications, such as environmental monitoring, resource recovery, wastewater treatment, and CO2 reduction. Besides research, Calvin has been actively providing services to the Canadian Symposium on Water Quality Research, Water Science and Technology Journal, Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology Journal, and various organizations at the University of Alberta. Calvin was also recently selected as a Graduate Teaching Assistantship – Principal Instructor at the University of Alberta to teach both undergraduate and graduate courses in Environmental Engineering as a course instructor. As a recipient of prestigious awards including the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholarship, Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship, and Alberta Innovates Graduate Student Scholarship, he looks forward to leading the Canadian Chapter of IWA YWP.
Connect with Calvin on: LinkedIn | Twitter | | UAlberta | Dhar Lab
Gabriella Autran
Secretary
Gabriella is a Civil Engineer with an M.Sc. in Civil Engineering, specializing in modeling and optimization, and a specialization course in Sanitary and Environmental Engineering. She has over 8 years of experience in the consulting industry, where she has coordinated and participated in Water/Wastewater Projects, leading the design team for water and wastewater systems, and developing projects using BIM (Building Information Modeling). She is currently taking Environmental Technology at Fanshawe College.
Pranav Sampara
Treasurer
Pranav is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of British Columbia, focusing on sustainable wastewater treatment by harnessing microbial metabolic capacity. His research centers on the ecophysiology of microbial communities engaged in nitrogen and phosphorus removal from wastewater, and he constructs engineering models for sustainable wastewater treatment. When not in the lab, Pranav enjoys hiking, strumming his guitar, and writing fiction.
Connect with Pranav on: LinkedIn | Github | Google Scholar
Carlo B. Bais
Communications Director
Carlo holds an MSc degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta, along with a BSc degree in Biology. His research primarily focuses on anaerobic digestion processes, where he conducts in-depth analyses of direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) processes and examines microbial dynamics using omics technologies. Currently, Carlo is part of the Future Energy Systems at the University of Alberta. Dedicated to fostering water stewardship, Carlo initially became involved with IWA-YWP Canada as a Volunteer Publishing Editor and extended his commitment by volunteering for the IWA-YWP Conference. Beyond his academic endeavours, Carlo dedicates his time to volunteering for different organizations, both within and outside the university. He is also passionate about community education and actively participates in various initiatives to share his knowledge on water stewardship, environmental conservation, and culture and heritage.
Afrida Nurain, M.Sc.
Communications Director
Afrida completed her M.Sc. in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta, specializing in Environmental Science. Her research at the University of Alberta focuses on multiple unique projects related to microplastic releases, settling, and removal from wastewater. Afrida’s journey in the water sector began at Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, Bangladesh, where she completed her B.Sc. and first M.Sc. in Environmental Sciences. Her B.Sc. project involved treating lead- contaminated water using banana peel as a sustainable water treatment method. At the University of Alberta, she worked on one of the projects funded by Environment Climate Change Canada — “Increasing Knowledge on Plastic Pollution (IKPP)” initiative, studying the adsorption behaviour of nanoplastics with chemical compounds in water for her M.Sc. thesis.
Beyond her research, Afrida is deeply committed to science communication, translating complex research into engaging, accessible stories for the public. She started as a volunteer newsletter editor for IWA-YWP Canada, creating and writing content for the monthly newsletter. Her passion lies in making science relatable and promoting environmental awareness through clear, impactful communication.
Connect with Afrida on LinkedIn
Fei Cheng
Interim Communications Director
Fei, from Guangzhou, China, is a recent M.Sc. and B.Sc. graduate in environmental engineering from the University of Alberta. Through 6 years of education and research in the environmental field, she developed a strong interest in industrial waste management and wastewater treatment. Her research evaluated the use of bauxite residue (a by-product of alumina extraction) for the treatment of oil sands process-affected water and municipal wastewater. She believes that effective wastewater treatment not only helps reduce environmental footprints but also produces economic benefits from water conservation, making it a sustainable management approach moving forward. Fei has had a variety of volunteering experiences. At IWA-YWP, she hopes to help facilitate the communication of water sciences to promote a more sustainable future for society.
Lin Sun
Partnership Director
Lin is a current PhD Candidate at Western University’s Biofilm Engineering and Wastewater Resource Recovery Laboratory. Specializing in the optimization of aeration and energy, Lin also emphasizes the enhancement of carbon utilization for advanced nitrogen removal via fixed biofilm technology. His expertise extends to tracking emerging contaminants in municipal wastewater and evaluating the effect of hydrodynamics on biofilm systems. Complementing his hands-on research, Lin has a strong academic foundation in areas including drinking water treatment, microbiology, and data analysis, backed by rigorous coursework. His experience portfolio includes several roles as an intern and research technician. Additionally, he maintains an active presence in water-related professional associations to empower water solutions through dedication.
Sanaz Mohebali
Membership Director
Sanaz is an MSc. candidate in Water Engineering at Université Laval, Québec, with a BSc. degree in Chemical Engineering. Her earlier research focused on advanced techniques such as adsorption and membrane separation to address heavy metals and dyes removal from industrial wastewater. In January 2022, she embarked on her MSc. journey at modelEAU, specializing in monitoring, modeling, and optimizing nutrient removal in wastewater treatment plants, with a specific emphasis on fault detection and fault-tolerant control. Her academic journey underscores her unwavering commitment to advancing sustainable water treatment solutions. She is committed to making a positive contribution to a more environmentally friendly future through her work, which aims to enhance wastewater treatment processes.
Emily Quecke
Publishing Director
Emily Quecke MSc.(she/they) is a PhD candidate in environmental engineering at the University of Alberta. Emily’s work focuses on interdisciplinary, collaborative, community-based approaches to water research with equity-denied communities. Emily is passionate about water quality and access, community health, social justice, and collaborative research. In their spare time Emily is a published poet and active community member on and off campus.
Alex Webb
Regional Director – Eastern
Alex has a varied professional background, including work in the heavy industrial sector on pipe and valve supply projects, as well as watershed management research. She volunteers with the IWA to bring her early-career perspective to the executive committees as an “elder YP.” At SENTRY, she works with regional and local representatives to support clients using SENTRY’s innovative sensor technology to proactively address their water quality challenges.
Juliana Mejia-Franco
Regional Co-director – Eastern
Juliana works as a Senior Client Manager at SENTRY, a company that provides monitoring services for WWTPs around the globe using a novel biofilm technology to inform operations. She has a strong educational background in water/wastewater treatment, supported by field research experience in on-site wastewater treatment systems. Juliana also works as a part-time professor at Algonquin College in Ottawa, guiding future water and wastewater operators in their venture to become what she calls “water wizards.” With one foot in academia and the other in industry, Juliana aims to serve as a bridge to facilitate collaboration and exchange of ideas between senior and junior water specialists in the region.
Jean-David Therrien
Regional Co-director – Eastern
Jean-David is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in water engineering at Université Laval. He strives to better understand how raw data from sensors, lab analyses, public databases, and expert knowledge come together to form automated smart water systems. His recent research has focused on the development of data management systems for wastewater-based epidemiology and data-driven modeling for the prediction of the evolution of pandemics based on wastewater measurements. He also has a part-time role at the Québec Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte aux Changements Climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs, where he works on enhancing data reporting systems. Constantly involved in both the student movement and the wastewater modeling community, Jean-David is excited to expand his involvement to the IWA YWP committee. He hopes to help bring YWPs of Eastern Canada together around their passion for water, public health, and the preservation of the environment.
Juan Fernando Díaz Salazar
Regional Director – Western
Juan hails from Ecuador, and is currently a PhD student at the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Manitoba. His research focuses on drinking water treatment. Holding a BSc in Biotechnology Engineering from the Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas – ESPE, his research centers on the utilization of nanofiltration membranes for the production of drinking water from sources abundant in natural organic matter and inorganic salts. His primary goal is to address foulant formation prevention on these membranes while enhancing the quality of drinking water and the efficiency of related technologies. His dedication extends to expanding the IWA YWP Canada network in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba.
Md Nurul Afcher Shishir
Regional Director – Pacific
Shishir is an MASc. student at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver), specializing in drinking water treatment. His current research project involves analyzing historical data from full-scale low-pressure membrane facilities across Canada with the goal of optimizing the operating protocols of such treatment plants. He completed his BSc. degree majoring in Structural Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). He is actively involved in advocating for graduate students’ rights and well-being by serving in the Graduate Student Society (GSS) under various capacities. He also won the best director award for his contribution as venue lead in the 2nd IWA YWP Canada conference.
Samantha LeValley
Regional Co-director – Central
Samantha is a Ph.D. candidate in Civil Engineering at the University of Toronto, where her research revolves around measuring and improving the equity of water supply distribution in rural areas of the Global South. She explores the intersections of engineering, social science, and health, particularly in the WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) field. Samantha is excited to be a part of IWA YWP Canada’s executive team and looks forward to fostering welcoming and inclusive environments for passionate YWPs to come together.
Alexa Bennett
Regional Co-director – Central
Alexa Bennett works as a Programme Coordinator in the Public Health and Environmental Engineering (PH2E) lab at the University of Victoria. She manages a collaborative research and training programme called the NSERC CREATE in water and sanitation for low resource contexts (WASHCanada). Alexa is also pursuing her PhD in Geography (water) at the University of Waterloo. Her mixed-methods research examines how climate-induced disruptions to water and sanitation services in sub-Saharan Africa affect maternal and child health. She is excited to be on the IWA YWP executive board as the regional director for Ontario.
Hayat Raza
Advisor
Hayat Raza currently works as a Project Engineer with Continental Carbon Group, Inc. in Ontario, Canada. His work involves providing odor, drinking water, and groundwater treatment solutions for clients in industrial and municipal markets. Hayat obtained their bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering with research in the areas of ozone and supercritical water oxidation. His current research initiatives include working on activated carbon production with agricultural biomasses, circular economy, and water-reuse applications.
IWA YWP Canada 