Yaldah Azimi
Adjunct Research Professor
Short Bio
Dr. Azimi is an accomplished leader in the water and wastewater industry in Canada, and recognized for their strong technical and hands-on experience. They have spearheaded research, designed wastewater and sludge treatment processes, developed and evaluated treatment technologies, optimized process, and improved operations. Currently serving as a Senior Program Manager in the Innovation Process Optimization and Technical Services team at the Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA), Dr. Azimi provides technical and engineering analysis to develop strategies for OCWA resources to be utilized effectively for improved plant performance. They also provide recommendations on process expansion and intensification, reducing energy consumption and mitigating climate impacts. Prior to this, at CH2M-Jacobs, Dr. Azimi led process design for intensification/upgrade projects at several Canadian wastewater treatment plants.
Dr. Azimi’s academic experience is composed of high-caliber research in the areas of environmental and bioprocess engineering, material sciences, environmental remediation, waste valorization, and developing mathematical models to understand the interactions of biomass with the engineered environment. At the Canadian National Water Research Institute (NWRI), they designed and operated several pilot-scale wastewater treatment systems and compared their performance to evaluate the impacts of biological process changes on effluent and sludge quality. At the University of Oxford they developed a new process that inhibits microbial growth in industrial lubricants to reduce/eliminate the addition of environmentally hazardous biocides and enable water reuse at a lower footprint. At the University of Toronto their research included ways to modify various biological wastewater treatment processes to improve effluent quality and make the inactivation/disinfection of pathogens less energy intensive. Their research interests also extended to sustainable contaminant removal methods using algal biofilms and enhancing energy generation in anaerobic digestion processes using enzymatic treatment methods.
Academic Credentials
- BASc – Chemical and Petroleum Engineering – Sharif University of Technology
- MASc – Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry – University of Toronto
- PhD – Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry – University of Toronto
- Postdoc – Department of Engineering Science – Oxford University
Research Interest
- Resource Recovery from Wastewater
- Bridging the Gaps Between Engineering and Operations
- Decarbonization
- Phosphorus Reuse
- Process Troubleshooting and Optimization
- Technical Advancements in Wastewater and Sludge Treatment