Programming Committee

Cigdem Eskicioglu

Cigdem is a Professor and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) /Metro Vancouver Senior Industrial Research Chair in Advanced Resource Recovery from Wastewater in the School of Engineering at University of British Columbia (UBC)’s Okanagan Campus in Canada. She is internationally recognized for her research in developing new bioreactor technologies for maximizing energy (i.e., biomethane and biohydrogen) and for resource recovery from organic waste, particularly wastewater sludge.

Dandan Song

Dandan is a process engineer with 5 years of experience in modelling water/wastewater treatment processes and developing training simulators for operators. She has participated in modelling projects involved various biological processes including activated sludge, lagoons, BNR processes, IFAS system, etc. She also has experience using modelling results for plant start-up and upgrades evaluation and operation optimization.

Dave has more than 20 years of experience in environmental consulting covering environmental geology, characterization/remediation, conceptual planning, detailed design, construction management, and commissioning. He began his career as an environmental scientist characterizing and remediation soil and groundwater contamination before transitioning in to chemical/environmental engineering focusing on design and construction of wastewater treatment infrastructure. In both design and construction roles, his objective is to meet the project’s needs by translating project requirements into clear, concise, biddable, and buildable packages through sound and collaborative engineering teams that deliver the design intent and long-term performance in a high-quality final product.

Lina Belia

Lina is a process engineer and the co-founder of Primodal Inc. She has nearly 30 years of experience in the field of wastewater treatment. Her expertise focuses on the implementation of mathematical modelling to aid the commissioning and operation of WRRF. For the past decade, Lina has also worked in the field of risk-based design and uncertainty evaluation. She is working towards the integration of simulation, uncertainty analysis and design guidelines. She is an active member of IWA and WEF and a WEF fellow.

Siva received a Bachelors degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Waterloo and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of British Columbia. He has over 15 years of experience in water and wastewater treatment processes with the last 12 years as a Scientist with Trojan Technologies. He currently leads a team of Application Scientists and Engineers that provide specialized technical services pre- and post-sales.

Elena holds a PhD in applied biological sciences from Ghent University (Belgium) where she is currently assistant professor at the department of Data analysis and mathematical modelling. Elena’s research harnesses the power of mathematical models to facilitate and improve monitoring, operation and control of water systems. Her research group develops mathematical models and digital twins for holistic and real-time water management provide.  Elena is the vice-chair of International Water Association’s Modelling and Integrated Assessment Specialist Group where she contributes to addressing and promoting all aspects of (integrated) modelling and optimization for improving the quality of aquatic environments.

James Laszlo

James is a Process Safety Engineer at EPCOR’s Rossdale and E.L. Smith Water Treatment plants. Previous to EPCOR, James worked in petroleum processing, industrial water treatment, and process safety industries. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering from the University of Calgary and has his Professional Engineering designation with APEGA (the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta). Outside of work, James enjoys brewing innovative craft beers and wines, spending time on the water, carpentry, and staying active.

Linda is an Environmental Engineer at Dillon Consulting and a graduate from the University of Waterloo. Since joining Dillon in 2017, Linda has been heavily involved in projects related to industrial wastewater treatment, international drinking water treatment process design, and municipal wastewater plant construction and upgrades. Linda worked in Canada’s Northwest Territories assisting Indigenous communities with drinking water programs. She serves on the International Water Association’s Programme Committee and Water’s Next Selection Committee for the Canadian Water Summit. As a Young Professional who is passionate about knowledge sharing, Linda has been a guest lecturer at Ryerson University and a panelist at University of Toronto. Outside of work, Linda enjoys backpacking, rock climbing, and exploring food and cultures.

Nathalie Hajek

Nathalie graduated from the University of Alberta in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in Civil-Environmental Engineering. She is now an Engineer-in-Training at EPCOR, where she works on the One Water Planning team, supporting the integration of planning activities for the entire water cycle. In her current role, Nathalie is focused on building and maintaining EPCOR’s water hydraulic model, and completing various hydraulic modeling and GIS spatial analyses to support operational and strategic planning initiatives. She is passionate about gender equity, DEI initiatives, and environmental sustainability.

Parnian Izadi

Parnian is a post-doctoral fellow with a solid fundamental understanding of water treatment processes from years of research and experimental work on wastewater and water technologies. Leading research in partnership with academia, she participates in ongoing scientific research with Stantec Institute for Water Technology & Policy. Here she explores emerging technologies in water science with projects focusing on water and the wastewater industry. Working in the wastewater sector, Parnian believes that she is well-positioned to play a role in a more sustainable future with development of the future of wastewater industry development. She hopes for a more sustainable future with circular development for wastewater solutions

Paula was granted with the Japanese Government Scholarship MEXT for the last few years. She has been doing research in water treatment using ecological engineering. She is also fortunate to obtain a wide range of experience in teaching at different universities. She is currently an instructor and mentor of undergraduate and graduate students. She has published eight papers and submitted one paper under revision. She received two awards as a researcher and two awards as an engineer and student in Bolivia. She gained knowledge in resolution of environmental issues in international organizations and NGOs. Currently, she became Chair of the Governing Members of the International Water Association (IWA-BOLIVIA).

Reza Eslami

Reza is a Ph.D. candidate at the chemical engineering department of Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). He uses material, polymer, and nanomaterial science fundamentals to deliver results, with a primary focus on innovation and sustainability. Deep technology understanding and creativity led him to turn his ideas into a startup and now he is co-founder and CEO of Sensofine Inc. He is also holding Ontario Graduate Scholarship for three consecutive years.

Ted Mao

Dr. Ted Mao is Chief Technology Officer, Evercloak, and Founder and Principal Consultant, MW Technologies to help start-up companies to develop and commercialize new technologies in the CleanTech space. Ted was Vice President, Research and Chief Technology Officer for 14 years at Trojan Technologies, one of the largest UV water treatment companies in the world. He is also an executive board member and President-Elect at the International UV Association (IUVA).