Chemical engineering professor Zhenghe Xu has been elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the country's most prestigious scholarly institute.
(Edmonton) A chemical engineering professor has joined the ranks of Canada's oldest and most prestigious scholarly institute in recognition of his outstanding scholarly achievements.
Zhenghe Xu, a professor in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, is one of two University of Alberta professors elected this year as fellows of the Royal Society of Canada. He is joined in the honour by mathematical biologist Mark Lewis.
Xu, Canada Research Chair in Mineral Processing, is a recognized leader in applying scientific principles to improve mineral processing technology. He is currently addressing a major challenge facing the oil sands industry-finding the best possible way to separate the bitumen from the sand while respecting the environment as well as cost requirements.
Xu also holds the NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Oil Sands Engineering. He came to the U of A in 1997 to bolster a world-class chemical and materials engineering department led by oil sands legend Jacob Masliyah.
In October of 2009, Xu was chosen to be part of a Royal Society of Canada-convened panel to look into the environmental and health impacts of Canada's oil sands industry. The subsequent report challenged all stakeholders to improve on the work they do with regard to Alberta's energy sector, but dismissed claims concerning the destructive nature of oil sands development and its negative impact on health.
"At the University of Alberta, I benefited greatly by working in an environment of academic excellence and from the support that I received at all administrative levels," said Xu. "The excellent research platforms provided by the university allowed me to successfully attract external research funds from local, national and international sources to establish a strong NSERC-IRC program."
Lewis, who grew up in British Columbia, joined the U of A 2001 as Canada Research Chair in Mathematical Biology. Since then, he says, the chair has been a magnet for opportunities to pick away at problems more aligned with Canada's environmental problems. Over time, Lewis has developed theories and new methods for understanding the impact of invasive species-such as zebra mussels or introduced weeds-specifically developing formulas to determine how fast they are spreading, where they will go next and how to best to control them.
The Royal Society of Canada was founded in 1882 and is Canada's oldest and most prestigious scholarly institute. With this year's inductees, the U of A now has 141 members.