Dr. Naoko Ellis has joined Fulbright University Vietnam as an Advisor in the Undergraduate Faculty. She is a Professor in Chemical Engineering at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada. Her interests lie in clean energy, and she has worked with wood waste and other waste streams to generate energy and chemicals. Inspired by a biodiesel project where waste vegetable oil is reprocessed and used in diesel trucks on campus at UBC, Naoko hopes to explore how to close the loop on many streams at community and regional scales.
“We have an important role to play in preparing the next generation of leaders who will lead the way in this complex world. My job as an educator is to focus on educating and developing future leaders in the engineering profession,” she said. “Now, the more I understand, the more I can help students imagine and build a sustainable world, help them deal with difficult issues, and prepare them not only to work in a multi-faceted environment, but also be more successful in these environments. This is the key to creating future leaders.”
Naoko holds a Ph.D. (UBC, 2003), M.E.Sc. (Western, 1993), and a B.Sc. (Honors, Waterloo, 1991). She is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC, and the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering, where she currently serves on the board.
She is currently the Senior Research Director of the Carbon Capture & Conversion Institute (CCCI), which is a collaborative partnership between CMC Research Institutes, the University of British Columbia, and BC Research Inc. to evaluate and develop technical and economic options for carbon conversion and carbon capture. The CCCI works with researchers and technology developers from government, academia, and industry to accelerate innovation from the lab bench to commercial scale use.
She enjoys working with students in supporting impactful movements on campus, such as the biodiesel project and the sustainability collective. Naoko also likes being outdoors, cycling to work, and taking care of the worm box at home.
