Welcoming Ophela as Our Co-op LCA Researcher

With a passion for driving change and creating impact, Mahdi co-founded 5REDO to promote circular economy principles in Canada. He’s an alumnus of the 2021 Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s ‘From Linear to Circular Programme.’ Mahdi played a pivotal role in developing and managing the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Circular Economy Seed Funding program, fostering partnerships between companies and academic researchers to co-create circular solutions.

As a Research Engineer at UBC, Mahdi facilitated interdisciplinary research in materials, manufacturing, sustainability, and health, contributing to the establishment of UBC’s Cluster of Research Excellence in Biocomposites. Mahdi also founded the ‘Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Projects in Health’ program at UBC Okanagan, offering undergraduates a unique platform for interdisciplinary collaboration.

Mahdi earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), followed by a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He boasts a strong research background in materials and manufacturing, evidenced by his publications in prestigious journals like Science, Nature Communications, and Advanced Materials. Additionally, he holds a micro-master’s degree in MBA Core Curriculum from the University of Maryland and is an active member of Professional Engineers Ontario.

Bio-Laia

Originating from Barcelona, Laia’s educational journey led her to pursue secondary studies in the south of France. Her Bachelor’s degree in Economics and International Management allowed her to develop an analytical mindset. During her Master’s in International Business and Management, she engaged in numerous research study cases and actively participated in the creation of different business plans. This helped her develop an ability to critically analyze and address the strategic challenges that companies encounter.

With a diverse professional background spanning communication, marketing, and finance, she delved into market research at Potloc as a Research and Innovation Analyst. She possesses advanced expertise in conducting surveys, as well as analyzing qualitative and quantitative primary and secondary data. Creative and proactive, she is also fluent in four languages: French, English, Spanish, and Catalan.

Laia is based in Montréal, Quebec.

As the co-founder of 5REDO, Forough brings her expertise in supply chain management, business operations, inventory control, and revenue management to support the implementation of circular solutions within different industry sectors.

Forough holds a PhD in Business Administration specializing in Operations and Logistics from the Sauder School of Business, UBC and a Master of Science degree in Operations Research from the University of Waterloo. In 2022, she joined Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics at the University of Delaware as an Assistant Professor of Operations Management.

Forough has been the leading member of several collaborative projects with large organizations such as Canadian Tire, Loblaws and Royal Columbian Hospital. She has been the recipient of University of British Columbia (UBC)’s Paul Chwelos Teaching Award in 2022, NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships in 2017 and the University of Waterloo’s S. Fleming Award for Teaching Excellence as well as the Fraser Award for Graduate Student Research in 2015. Her research paper entitled Assortment Planning with Satisficing Customers was selected as one of the three finalists in the Student Paper Competition of Canadian Operational Research Society (CORS) in 2020.

Andre has over 5 years of industry experience in project management, polymer and composite processing, materials characterization, and product development. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil, and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Technology from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, where he focused on Polymer and Composite materials. In 2012, he founded a design and manufacturing company specializing in biocomposites made with natural fibers, which he successfully sold in 2015.

Since then, Andre has worked as a Research Scientist in Brazil and Canada, focusing on high-temperature coatings and polyurethane materials. He possesses strong knowledge of polymer chemistry, structure-property relations, and manufacturing, making him a valuable asset to any project in these areas.

As an expert in sustainability, life cycle assessment, circular economy, and green chemistry, Nicolas possesses valuable skills and knowledge that can assist companies in developing and implementing sustainable and environmentally-friendly business models. They can achieve this by utilizing eco-friendly materials, improving manufacturing processes, reducing waste and hazardous chemical use, and advocating for the use of safer and more sustainable alternatives.

His educational and professional accomplishments are a testament of his hard work and dedication in his field. He completed a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering at EAN University in Columbia. Driven by a passion for sustainability, he then joined the Institute of Chemicals and Fuels from Renewable Resources at Western University as a Master’s student. Nicolas’s thesis was focused on obtaining carbon credits by creating value-added products from biomass residue, in particular farm and orchard waste, using pyrolysis.

Karan is an experienced professional who has worked in multiple geographies and roles along his career. He holds a total of 10+ years of experience in manufacturing operations, and has focused his efforts towards finding solutions for waste recovery and making recovery economical for industries.

He holds an MBA from Kellogg School of Management, US and B.Tech from IIT Roorkee, India. As side work, he likes to engage in efforts to support disability causes.

As our Senior Research Scientist, Hormoz draws on his eight years of industrial and nine years of academic research experience in the areas of polymer science and engineering to develop new solutions for advancing circularity and sustainability.

Prior to joining 5REDO, he was a Research Associate at the University of Waterloo working on novel packaging films and advanced polymerization techniques. Hormoz received his PhD from the Department of Chemical Engineering at McMaster University, Hamilton in 2006. He then moved back to his home country and served as a faculty member in the Department of Polymer Engineering and Colour Technology at Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran for 10 years.

Hormoz has published 19 papers in various peer-reviewed scientific journals such as Macromolecular Materials and Engineering, Cellulose, and Colloid and Polymer Science, and has over five patents.

With her significant hands-on experience in developing and characterizing biological and chemical systems, Vicky plays a key role in 5REDO’s efforts toward developing novel products and technologies that offer improved circularity and sustainability to the industry and society.

During her master’s degree in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Waterloo, Vicky synthesized novel antimicrobial coatings with a focus on using nontoxic and environmentally friendly polymers. She completed her undergraduate studies in bioengineering at Central South University of Forestry and Technology in China. Her bachelor’s thesis dealt with the use of activated charcoal in antibiotic wastewater treatment.

Vicky has also been involved in a number of projects outside the university settings. At Aereus Technologies in Waterloo, she worked on developing copper-based nanoparticles and nanocomposites. In addition, as a research assistant in Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, she contributed to a program focused on developing a new antibiotic.

Prior to joining 5REDO, Vicky was involved in a research project on 3D printing of hydrogels in University of Waterloo’s Surface Science and Bio-nanomaterials Laboratory.

With several years of research experience in France and Canada, Fabien lends his expertise and passion for enzymology and microbiology to 5REDO’s sustainability innovation plans.

Fabien has received his PhD in Chemistry from Université Paris-Saclay & Institut Curie in France. He then worked for nearly five years at McGill University as a postdoctoral fellow and research associate where he got involved in several research projects relating to medicinal chemistry and enzymatic reactions.

Fabien has 1 patent and 16 publications in peer-reviewed journals such as Chemical Communications, ChemSusChem and Green Chemistry.

By leveraging her expertise in life cycle analysis and process engineering, Ophela helps 5REDO to take a holistic approach to the development of circular solutions and technologies.

During her undergraduate years in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of British Columbia, Ophela founded and led a student research team working on the production of biofuels form microalgae. She also took an internship job in Miniwiz, Taiwan where she provided research and design support to the company’s projects centring around upcycling waste streams to consumer goods and construction materials. In addition, as a Junior Research Scientist at KIST-UBC Biorefinery on-site Laboratory, she gained experience in wood-chip biofuels and contributed to the reduction of production costs through process improvement.

Upon completing her undergraduate studies in 2020, Ophela decided to pursue a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry at the University of Toronto. Throughout this program, she further enhanced her knowledge about bioengineering, sustainability and management, and in addition, gained expertise in applied data science and intelligent process engineering. Her final project was focused on techno-economic and life cycle assessment of enzymatically-modified technical lignin.

As a recent graduate of chemical engineering from the University of Waterloo, Kyle brings his passion for impactful innovation and his experience with novel recycling processes to 5REDO to support our technology development initiatives.

During his undergraduate studies, Kyle took co-op positions in several design and manufacturing companies including Zeton, Mondelēz International, and Alchemy Nano. These work experiences offered him the opportunity to deal with large-scale projects and industrial troubleshooting in areas related to quality control, materials formulation, and pilot plant design and construction.

Kyle completed his bachelor’s degree with a cumulative average of 89.7% and was recognized twice on the Dean’s Honour List for his academic achievements. In addition, he and his teammates received the Best Overall Award for their 4th year project on recycling of multilayer films.

Shauna is a freelance journalist that covers a wide range of topics, including health, education, the environment, travel, lifestyle trends, and more. She holds a Master of Journalism from Carleton University, and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Global Development from Queen’s University.

Her work can be found in University Affairs magazine, Cottage Life, Toast the Daily Xtra, Where Calgary magazine, and more. She served as the editor and head writer for 14 issues of Vital Signs, a trade publication for doctors in Alberta. An initial version of her master’s research project on social workers and trauma was published in THIS magazine. She is a fact-checker for various publications and also writes fiction.

Shauna is currently based in Calgary, Alberta.