Professor named to NSERC Council

Raj Mehta, a professor in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering in the Schulich School of Engineering with over 25 years of experience in his field, has been appointed to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research (NSERC) Council of Canada.

“I am truly honored and excited about the appointment,” says Mehta, who will serve as one of the 15 to 18 members of the council. The NSERC Council doesn’t oversee the granting of individual awards to researchers, but rather it approves funding allocations to broad program areas for grants, scholarships and fellowships.

The NSERC Council is also responsible for developing the strategy and high level policies for the organization as well as reviewing and evaluating NSERC’s performance.

“With my background as a researcher working in close collaboration with local and global industry in technology development and implementation, I will be able to contribute towards further enhancing our innovation system,” he says. 

Mehta, who did both his master’s and PhD at the University of Calgary, co-leads the In Situ Combustion Research Group at the university, has authored or co-authored hundreds of technical papers, reports and patents and worked with international energy companies in Improved Oil Recovery (IOR) and safety.

He has also worked with the Canadian oil and gas industry to organize and deliver specialized training and technology transfer programs all over the world. He’s brought people together and initiated projects ranging from research to teaching, training and technology transfer as well as building relationships with partners in countries including Argentina, Albania, China, Colombia, Japan, Romania, Hungary, Mexico, Malaysia, Ecuador, Trinidad and Tobago, India, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Russia and the U.S. 

“I believe that investment in fundamental and applied research and training of highly qualified personnel should naturally lead to technology commercialization to gain competitive leadership in our technology driven world,” he says.

“It’s important that researchers apply research results and innovations to real life.”

Mehta’s three-year term started in December, 2013.