York University's James & Joanne Love Chair in Environmental Engineering, Satinder Brar, first became interested in research and the environment at a young age in India thanks to her grandfather, a farmer, who taught her the values of environmental sustainability.
Satinder Kaur Brar
Since then, the civil engineering professor's distinguished accomplishments in the fields of environmental sustainability and green chemistry have broken boundaries, initiating many practical projects around the world, making great improvements to global environmental safety.
In recognition of that work, the Save the Environment (STE) presented the International Achiever Award to Brar in October 2019 during the National Conference on Water Crisis, Public Health and Sustainable Solutions & First Annual Meet of Save The Environment, organized at Indian National Science Academy in New Delhi, India.
Recognized as an international wastewater researcher, Brar’s work contributes meaningfully to these UN SDGs, as her work aims to find innovative ways for cleaning contaminated water, ensuring communities have access to clean and safe drinking water for generations to come. Brar is often invited to talks during international forums and conferences on applied biotechnology, which is the science of manipulating microorganisms to produce antibiotics and hormones.
With more than 400 publications and an outstanding h-index – an author-level metric that measures both the productivity and citation impact of scholarly publications – of 50, Brar has made it her mission to find harmony between economical advancements and environmental conservation.
This award is a testament to the massive impact Brar’s work is having on the planet.
“[Brar’s] scientific accomplishments have indeed brought laurels to our nation. [She] is truly an exemplary inspiration for environmentalists and biotechnologists across the world,” Kshipra Misra, president, STE.
Within an environmental context, York University is ranked relatively high for various United Nation’s (UN) Sustainability Development Goals (SDG) including:
- 12th in the world for Sustainable Cities and Communities
- 14th in the world for Climate Action
- 22nd in the world for Consumption and Production
For more on Brar, visit her York University profile.