About
Monica B. Emelko is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Waterloo and holds the Canada Research Chair in Water Science, Technology & Policy. She is Director of the Water Science, Technology & Policy Group and cross-appointed in Biology, Geography & Environmental Management, Systems Design Engineering, and the School of Planning. Her research focuses on drinking water treatment, wildfire impacts, climate change adaptation, and sustainable technology development. She co-leads the Southern Rockies Watershed Project, addressing wildfire effects on hydrology and water quality. Emelko advises federal/provincial agencies on drinking water policy and has received multiple awards, including the NSERC Discovery Accelerator Supplement and Ontario Early Researcher Award. She teaches advanced courses in water treatment and environmental engineering.
Education:
- PhD Civil Engineering, University of Waterloo (2001)
- Masters Civil Engineering, UCLA (1995)
- Bachelor's Environmental Engineering Science & Chemical Engineering, MIT (1993-1994)
Research Interests: Emelko’s work spans drinking water security, microbial risk assessment, wildfire-induced water quality challenges, and climate change adaptation. She emphasizes integrating engineering solutions with ecological and policy frameworks. Recent projects include modeling wildfire ash impacts on treatment plants and developing frameworks for microplastic risk assessment. Her interdisciplinary approach involves collaborating with over 30 utilities across North America.
Awards & Recognition:
- NSERC Discovery Accelerator Supplement (2009)
- Ontario Early Researcher Award (2006)
- AWWA Academic Achievement Award (2002)
Advancing Knowledge: Emelko’s lab develops novel methodologies for quantifying water treatment efficacy and microbial risks. She pioneered techniques for evaluating filtration performance under wildfire conditions and contributed to IPCC reports on climate-water linkages. Her team’s work on cyanobacterial dynamics and DBP formation under climate stress has informed regulatory policies. Teaching focuses on physico-chemical water treatment processes (CIVE 670, CIVE 770) and statistical methods (ENVE 224/GEOE 224).
Labs & Teams: The Water Science Group coordinates the Southern Rockies Observatory, tracking long-term watershed responses to disturbances. Emelko collaborates with industry/government partners on projects like the Wildfire Exposure Index and green infrastructure cost-benefit analyses.
