UBC Environmental Engineering welcomes new co-director Dr. Tamara Etmannski

UBC Environmental Engineering (ENVL) is welcoming Dr. Tamara Etmannski as the program's new co-director, alongside Dr. Madjid Mohseni. She brings a wealth of experience to the position, having been the co-director of the joint UBC/UNBC Environmental Engineering (ENVE) undergraduate program since 2019.

Etmannski joined UBC in 2014 after completing her PhD in environmental engineering at Oxford University. For her doctoral dissertation, she reverse-engineered off-grid arsenic-removal water treatment systems in rural India using user-centred design principles and sustainability metrics. 

Prior to UBC, Etmannski worked in the oil and gas industry in northern British Columbia, served as an independent technical consultant, and founded or co-founded three tech startups. She also facilitated start-up boot camps in London and completed Singularity University’s exclusive Graduate Studies Program at NASA Ames in Silicon Valley.

Etmannski succeeds Dr. Gregory Lawrence, who served as co-director for three years together with Mohseni, and who was instrumental in the genesis of the ENVL program. Lawrence and Mohseni's exceptional vision and tireless efforts in leadership, academics and administration led to the ENVL program's recent success in being accredited by the Engineers Canada Accreditation Board this June.

The union of Etmannski's extensive experience and innovative leadership, alongside Mohseni’s existing expertise, promises a future filled with exciting possibilities for ENVL, and the program anticipates further growth, innovation and excellence.