Age: 38
Occupation: Professor, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary
Can you picture a billionth of a metre? Likely not. To visualize a particle this size (a.k.a., a nanoparticle), scientists use a special microscope technique that uses light to measure movement. These tiny particles are a big deal for Giovanniantonio Natale.
Natale’s research at UCalgary’s Complex Fluids Lab centres on understanding how nanoparticles behave, and using these findings to affect change. Not long ago, the chemical engineer and his team discovered that nanoparticles can help detect toxic pollutants, such as lead and arsenic, found in wastewater. By some estimates, polluted water in tailings ponds across Alberta amounts to 1.18 trillion litres, more than 50 times the capacity of the Glenmore Reservoir.
Natale’s work can also detect pollutants in drinking water, like PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). “Currently, the detection of contamination is done with techniques that are very expensive and time-consuming,” Natale says. “With our methodology, we can get measurements within minutes.”
Natale also connects with scientists in public policy and economics, chairs academic and scientific boards, and mentors students. Since joining the faculty at UCalgary 10 years ago, Natale has supervised more than 50 students, and received a Graduate Supervision Excellence Award in 2023.
Helping students form industry relationships is essential for Natale’s mission as an educator. “It’s very important that students see interest from industry,” he says. “Because that motivates them to produce impactful research that challenges the status quo.”
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