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Award-winning Laurentian PhD candidate from Iran says her 'heart goes out' to protesters

Maryam Pourmahdavi, a PhD candidate of Natural Resource Engineering in Engineering Science at Laurentian University, is the recipient of the prestigious Gordon M. Ritcey PhD award. (Supplied) Maryam Pourmahdavi, a PhD candidate of Natural Resource Engineering in Engineering Science at Laurentian University, is the recipient of the prestigious Gordon M. Ritcey PhD award. (Supplied)
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Maryam Pourmahdavi, a PhD candidate of Natural Resource Engineering in Engineering Science at Laurentian University, is the recipient of the prestigious Gordon M. Ritcey PhD award.

"This nationwide achievement in the hydrometallurgy section of Metallurgy and Materials Society of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (MetSoc) is an incredible accomplishment," the university said in a news release Wednesday.

Pourmahdavi is also a 2019 Ontario Trillium scholar and 2020 Parya Trillium scholar. This is the first time that a Laurentian student has been the recipient of this award.

Originally from Lahijan, Iran, she earned her B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from Guilan University in the northern part of the country, and her M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering at the Iran University of Science and Technology.

Not only is Pourmahdavi interested in implementing change to support the environment, she is equally passionate about teaching.

“All of the women in my family are teachers," she said in a news release from LU.

"I wanted to be a post-secondary lecturer. That is originally why I decided to do a PhD. My family, especially my mother, believed that if you want to make a change, you have to educate the next generation. I want to have an impact on the next generation, help them to have a better life, have a better career. This has really inspired me.”

Iran is currently embroiled in protests related to the death of a young woman at the hands of that nation's morality police. Pourmahdavi said her heart goes out to everyone affected by the turmoil.

"While I am very proud of my accomplishments and will continue to persevere in my academic pursuits, my heart goes out to my family, friends, and all those affected by the violence and tragedies ongoing in my home country," she said.

Don't have basic rights

"When I was a student in Iran, I did not have the opportunity to be a part of my university community. Although Iranian women form the majority of university students in Iran, they continue to face disproportionate inequalities and do not have many basic rights. However, they are so brave as they are active in public life. I hope to see a better future for Iran with equal opportunities for the growth and development of all Iranian girls and women."

Pourmahdavi wanted to study at a Canadian university as she pursued her PhD. When she discovered Laurentian’s location in the unique mining landscape of Greater Sudbury, she recalled thinking, “this could be a great place for me, and the fact that I could further my career here was another reason why I chose Laurentian.”

Working under the direction of her faculty supervisor, Dr. Dean Millar, her dissertation is titled “Design and verification of CO2 capture and sequestration systems utilizing the pressure swing absorption process in a hydraulic air compressor (HAC).”

In other words, Pourmahdavi’s research hinges on finding solutions for reducing carbon dioxide emissions produced by the mining industry.

In collaboration with MIRARCO, she is a co-instructor of undergraduate students studying operation research at the University of Jiangxi University of Science and Technology in Ganzhou, China.

“I’ve really enjoyed these teaching opportunities,” Pourmahdavi said.

"Maryam Pourmahdavi is sure to inspire others," the university said in a news release.

"The Laurentian community is fortunate to benefit from her contributions and we will all be eager to hear of her successes after graduation." 

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