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Dr. Mehrab Mehrvar

Mehrab Mehrvar
Professor, Associate Chair (Graduate Studies)
BSc, MSc, PhD, PEng
Department Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Sciences

Areas of Academic Interest

Advanced oxidation technologies for water and wastewater treatment: process development and design of individual and combined processes, kinetics, modeling, and simulation

Photochemical reaction engineering in environmental processes: simulation, modeling, kinetics, mass transfer, and photoreactor design

Integration of advanced oxidation technologies and biological processes for the treatment of water and wastewater: process design, modeling, simulation, and optimization

Effect of climate change on water quality and quantity

Education

Year University Degree
1998 University of Waterloo
PhD
1991 Shiraz University
MSc
1988 University of Sistan and Baluchistan BSc

Selected Courses

Course Code Course Title
CHE 308 Mass Transfer
CHE 422 Biochemical Engineering
CHE 315 Unit Operations Laboratory I

Spotlight

Mehrab Mehrvar’s entire life has been shaped by water. “Growing up, our town did not have a sewage system,” he says. “We had to boil all our water so we wouldn't get sick.”

It was this early reality check that turned Mehrvar into the passionate environmentalist and lecturer he is today. “My students respond to my enthusiasm. It keeps them motivated to learn and try to solve the problem we’re faced with.”

That problem is climate change. With rising sea levels causing unprecedented flooding, how do we protect aquifers—the source of drinking water for much of the world—from over-salinization? To address this issue, Mehrvar and several of his grad students are building mathematical models based on data they’ve collected in Cartagena, Colombia, a city struggling with this very issue. The models, Mehrvar hopes, will convince the municipality to take action to prevent further flooding and consider improvements to water treatment technology.

It’s a challenging task, but Mehrvar is striving ahead. “It’s my duty,” he says. “A true engineer has a responsibility to help improve the world.”

Mehrab Mehrvar

“A true engineer has a responsibility to help improve the world.”

Teaching and Education Awards:

  • Yates School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (YSGPS) Outstanding Contribution to Graduate Education Awards, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2017, 2020, 2025

Scholarly, Research and Creative Activity Awards:

  • Sarwan Sahota TMU Distinguished Scholar Award, The Highest Scholarly, Research, and Creativity Honour, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2019
  • Deans' SRC (Scholarly, Research and Creative Activity) Awards, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2013, 2018, 2021, 2024
  • Departmental Research Award, Chemical Engineering, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2012
  • Dr. T.E. Unny Memorial Award, University of Waterloo, 1997
  • University of Waterloo Graduate Award, 1995, 1997
  • Faculty of Engineering Award, University of Waterloo,1994, 1995, 1996
  • International Graduate Student Award, University of Waterloo, 1996

 Service Awards:

  • AVP International's Global Learning Award, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2025
  • Deans' Service Awards, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2024
  • Y.P. Lin, R. Dhib, M. Mehrvar, Nonlinear system identification for aqueous PVA degradation in a continuous UV/H2O2 tubular photoreactor, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research (I&EC), 60 (3), 1302-1315, 2021.
  • M.B. Johnson, M. Mehrvar, Characterizing winery wastewater composition to optimize treatment and reuse, Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research, 26 (4), 410–416, 2020.
  • M.B. Johnson, M. Mehrvar, An Assessment of the grey water footprint of winery wastewater in the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada, Journal of Cleaner Production, 214, 623-632, 2019.
  • C.F. Bustillo-Lecompte, M. Mehrvar, Treatment of actual slaughterhouse wastewater by combined anaerobic–aerobic processes for biogas generation and removal of organics and nutrients: an optimization study towards a cleaner production in the meat processing industry, Journal of Cleaner Production, 141, 278–289, 2017.
  • M. Nasirian, M. Mehrvar, Modification of TiO2 to enhance photocatalytic degradation of organics in aqueous solutions, Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 4 (4), 4072–4082, 2016.
Patents
 
  • M.B. Johnson, M. Mehrvar,  Method and system for pre-treating high strength wastewater, United States Provisional Patent Application No. 63/170,009, April 2, 2021.
  • Conference Chair, 3rd International Conference on Recent Trends in Environmental Science and Engineering (RTESE’19), June 10-12, 2019, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
  • Conference Chair, 2nd International Conference on Recent Trends in Environmental Science and Engineering (RTESE’18), June 17-19, 2018, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
  • Chair, International Conference on Recent Trends in Environmental Science and Engineering (RTESE’17), August 23-25, 2017, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
  • Senior Life Member of AIChE
  • Member, Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE), Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC)