Catherine Mulligan facts for kids

Catherine Mulligan is a professor and a leading expert in cleaning up our environment. She works at Concordia University and is a Research Chair in Geo-environmental Sustainability. This means she helps find ways to keep our planet healthy and clean for a long time. She also started the Concordia Institute for Water, Energy and Sustainable Systems, which focuses on important environmental issues. Her main work is about cleaning up dirty water and soil.

About Catherine Mulligan

Becoming an Engineer

Catherine Mulligan became interested in engineering after a conversation with her mother. She studied at McGill University, where she earned three degrees. First, she got a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering. Then, she completed a Master of Engineering. Finally, she earned her PhD in Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering.

Cleaning Up Our Planet

Since 1999, Professor Mulligan has been teaching at Concordia University. Her research focuses on new ways to clean up soil, mud, and water. She works to remove harmful substances like metals, oil (hydrocarbons), and other pollutants. Her goal is to make these areas safe and clean again.

From 2012 to 2018, she led a special program at Concordia called CREATE. This program brought together different experts to find solutions for environmental sustainability. She also served as a vice president for the Canadian Geotechnical Society from 2013 to 2014.

In 2017, Catherine Mulligan was featured in a book called Women of Innovation: The Impact of Leading Engineers in Canada. This book highlighted important women engineers in Canada.

In 2020, she became the third woman to be president of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering. This is a big honor for engineers in Canada.

By January 2021, Professor Mulligan had written or helped write over 175 scientific papers.

In September 2022, Catherine Mulligan was recognized by The Royal Society of Canada. She became a Fellow of the Royal Society because of her amazing academic achievements. This honor celebrated her three decades of hard work in finding ways to clean up our environment.

Awards and Recognition

Catherine Mulligan has received many awards for her important work:

• 2020: Fellow, Canadian Academy of Engineering
• 2019: Provost's Circle of Distinction, Concordia University
• 2018: John B. Stirling Medal, Engineering Institute of Canada
• 2017: Fellow, Engineering Institute of Canada
• 2017: Featured in Women of Innovation book, Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum
• 2004: Young Innovator Award, Petro-Canada
• 2002: Young Innovator Award, Petro-Canada