Officer of the Order of Canada
Awarded on: 2020-11-27
Invested on: 2023-10-26
Elizabeth A. Edwards, O.C.
Toronto, Ontario
Elizabeth Edwards has expanded the realm of possibility in bioremediation. A professor of chemical engineering at the University of Toronto, she is celebrated for her mentorship, and is renowned for proving that certain petroleum hydrocarbons, such as benzene, can be degraded without oxygen. She has been instrumental in developing transformative microbial treatments for polluted soils and groundwater, notably KB-1, which is used worldwide to remediate sites contaminated by chlorinated solvents. She also amplifies the pertinence of interdisciplinary research and of academic-industry partnerships, namely as the founder and director of BioZone.