In January 2016, Prof. Lesley Warren will join the Department of Civil Engineering as the new Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Chair in Mineral Engineering.
“As an applied scientist who combines geochemistry with molecular and experimental microbiology to identify the processes that affect water quality and waste/reclamation context stability for the minerals and energy sectors, this position seems like the perfect fit for me,” said Warren.
Prof. Warren, currently a professor at the School of Geography & Earth Sciences at McMaster University, specializes in sustainable mining research. Her new chair position will focus on furthering the initiatives of the Lassonde Institute of Mining, which promotes and facilitates cross-disciplinary research related to challenges facing the mineral and energy sectors.
Prof. Warren said of her appointment:
“I believe the key to sustainable mining is in thinking of mines as bioreactors and that engineers working together with biogeochemists and microbiologists will enable translation of breakthroughs into new tools and approaches that can change mining practices for the better. There is no better place to foster such research than here at the U of T, where so many bright minds are as interested in mining, water, and environment as I am. The opportunities for research, education and outreach are exciting and I am looking forward to being a part of the department.”