Prof. Banu Örmeci elected into Canadian Academy for Engineering
Among the 56 new Fellows elected into the Canadian Academy for Engineering in 2026 is Carleton University environmental and public health engineering professor Banu Örmeci.
The Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE) is the national institution through which individuals, who have made outstanding contributions to engineering in Canada, provide strategic advice on matters of critical importance to Canada and to Canadians. Academy President Catherine Karakatsanis announced the new Fellows on May 11, 2026 and an induction ceremony followed in early June.
“I am deeply honoured to be named a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering,” says Örmeci. “This recognition is especially meaningful to me, and I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to Canadian society, support the Academy’s important work, and advance the field of environmental and public health engineering.”
Fellows of the CAE are nominated and elected by their peers, in view of their distinguished achievements
and career-long service. Part of the commitment as a Fellow is to ensure that Canada’s engineering expertise and experience are applied to the benefit of all Canadians.
Örmeci’s research program focuses on water and wastewater treatment, encompassing the removal of chemical contaminants and the disinfection of pathogens, as well as environmental monitoring of emerging pathogens and chemical pollutants. It also involves the development of new and innovative treatment technologies and the optimization of treatment processes.
She is currently the Jarislowsky Chair in Water and Health and the Director of the Global Water Institute. Her work directly relates to the protection of public health and the environment, and aims to offer solutions globally and in Canada.
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Örmeci and research collaborators developed an “early warning system” to test wastewater and worked throughout the pandemic to update six Ontario cities and towns and their public health authorities about viral levels within their wastewater.
Her community work also includes a grassroots effort to conduct water sampling at Ottawa parks along the Rideau River in the summer of 2025. This work, coinciding with municipal-level efforts, helped close some of the knowledge gaps in assessing the water quality and safety of the Rideau River for swimming and recreation.
