Best of Both Worlds: How Bacteria Can Reduce GHGs And Lead To More Sustainable Energy | Energy Talks

The world is facing a broad range of challenges that redefine our lives and activities. On one side are environmental problems, many of which come down to the staggering amounts of greenhouse gas released by modern society. For instance, methane gas, which is much more potent than carbon dioxide, is emitted as waste by many industrial processes and is a large contributor to climate change. On the other hand, we are at a crossroad when it comes to energy: our needs keep increasing while we try to find more sustainable ways to produce it. Luckily, there may be an answer for both: bacteria. How can minuscule microbes help solve two of the biggest challenges facing our world?

Prof. Dominic Sauvageau (BEng MEng, PhD – Chemical Engineering, McGill University; P.Eng.) joined the University of Alberta in January 2011. His research focuses on different aspects of Bioengineering, including using microbes for the production of biofuels, biomaterials and specialty chemicals. His work combines principles of chemical and process engineering with techniques from molecular biology, genetic engineering and synthetic biology.

He is the recipient of Early Career Researcher and Discovery Grant Accelerator Supplement Awards from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). He received the Provost’s Award for Early Achievement of Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (2015) and the Faculty of Engineering Undergraduate Teaching Award (2014) at the University of Alberta. In 2018/2019, he was an Honorary Visiting Fellow at the University of Leicester, UK. Over the years, he supervised or co-supervised five award-winning teams of students representing the UofA at the International Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) synthetic biology competition.

This webinar, Best of Both Worlds: How Bacteria Can Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions And Lead To More Sustainable Energy, is offered in partnership with Future Energy Systems and the Edmonton Public Library.

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Twitter Handle: @ua_futureenergy

Future Energy Systems is a $75 million research program at the University of Alberta, funded by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund. More than 130 researchers, 600 graduate students, post docs and other highly qualified personnel in nine faculties are studying the energy transition in over 90 different projects. Our researchers seek to develop energy technologies of the future, improve today’s energy technologies, and understand the transition between the two. We are also studying the effects of energy transition on society, the economy, and the environment.

The University of Alberta respectfully acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 6 territory, a traditional gathering place for diverse Indigenous peoples including the Cree, Blackfoot, Metis, Nakota Sioux, Iroquois, Dene, Ojibway/ Saulteaux/Anishinaabe, Inuit, and many others whose histories, languages, and cultures continue to influence our vibrant community.