Abbas Rasouli
I am a first-year Ph.D. student, co-supervised by Dr. Jesse Vermaire from the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies and Prof. Onita Basu from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Along with my PhD program, I act as a highly qualified personnel (HQP) at NSERC CREATE program, where we address water and sanitation challenges in low-resource settings. My interest in water quality related issues stems from my M.Sc. at Shahid Beheshti University, when I was studying the role of sustainable riparian buffer zones in controlling surface runoff pollutants. Later, during my M.Eng. at Memorial University, I developed a superhydrophobic and superoleophilic mesh tube to effectively separate oil from oil-water mixtures, beneficial for a range of industries, marine oil spills, and protecting water resources. This project brought our team the Terranova Young Innovator Award in 2019.
My passion for improving water quality has pushed me to dig into the emerging problem of microplastics (MPs). Given the ubiquitous presence of MPs, specially in tap water, I kept questioning whether our water treatment systems were doing enough to keep us safe from these tiny, potentially harmful particles? As such, in my doctoral research, I aim to develop an eco-friendly/efficient carbon-based adsorbent to capture MPs from drinking water systems. I also evaluate the performance of developed adsorbent in real-world settings, across different geographical regions, to study the factors affecting the adsorption mechanism. This approach contributes to cleaner water, reducing the risk of plastic pollution, and promoting environmental preservation while safeguarding public health.
Beyond academia, I am a dedicated father to my beloved son, Soren, and a volunteer coach for newcomers in World Skills Ottawa. I am also passionate about all kinds of art, music, movies, photography, and cooking.