For nearly four decades, Professor F. Handan Tezel from the Faculty of Engineering’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering has advanced research that’s helping industries reduce emissions, improve energy efficiency and accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy. Her work is shaping cleaner, more sustainable technologies and influencing engineering research and education around the world.
These very contributions have earned her a Distinguished University Professor award, one of uOttawa’s highest honours. It recognizes outstanding scholarly achievement, leadership, and excellence and innovation in teaching
Leadership that’s shaped chemical engineering research
Throughout her career, Tezel has held many leadership roles at both uOttawa and research organizations. She has served as vice-dean of research, a member of the University Senate and a member of the Committee on Academic Standing. Beyond the Faculty of Engineering, she has contributed to the engineering community through roles as a chair, director and board member across many professional organizations.
Her contributions have earned national and international recognition from her peers. She has been elected to prestigious fellowships, including:
- fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada in 2016
- fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada in 2017
- fellow of the International Adsorption Society in 2022
In 2017, Tezel was the only chemical engineer nominated for the Engineering Institute of Canada fellowship. That achievement brought national attention to both uOttawa and the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.
Research advancing a low-carbon future
Tezel’s internationally recognized research aims to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy. This involves making clean energy cheaper, reducing industrial emissions and developing technologies that capture and repurpose carbon.
“My research will help the global transition toward a low-carbon economy by lowering clean energy costs and by permanently removing atmospheric emissions,” she says.
Her research spans three complementary areas that are making measurable impacts across industry and environmental sustainability:
- Adsorption separations: Tezel’s research on adsorption enables her to analyze how gases and chemicals behave and modify them to reduce their environmental impact. Adsorption materials she developed are now used in over 200 Air Products plants worldwide.
- Thermal energy storage: Another focus of Tezel’s research involves developing innovative methods of storing heat so it can be used as an energy source. She has worked with multiple companies and research teams to create cheaper, smaller and more efficient heat storage technologies.
- Carbon capture and recycling: Tezel is actively developing technologies that can capture carbon before it enters the atmosphere and repurpose it into valuable chemicals and fuels.
Over her career, Tezel has published her work in more than 560 journal papers, conference proceedings, abstracts and technical reports, and secured over $13 million in research funding at uOttawa. She hopes this distinction will create opportunities for more funding to further her discoveries and expand the impact of her research.
What is a Distinguished University Professor?
The title Distinguished University Professor is one of uOttawa’s most prestigious honours. At any given time, only 25 full-time professors can hold it.
“Professor Handan Tezel exemplifies the very highest standards of scholarship, teaching and academic leadership,” says Professor Xudong Cao, Chair of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. “This well-deserved recognition reflects her outstanding contributions to our department, the University and the global engineering community.”
For Tezel, it also reflects the people she has worked alongside throughout her career.
“It’s a privilege to go to work every day to collaborate with amazing colleagues in the department, the Faculty and the University,” she says.
This distinction celebrates a career defined by research excellence, academic leadership and lasting commitment to advancing engineering for the benefit of society.