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The Environment Division Mehran Alaee Early Career Researcher Award recognizes an outstanding early career researcher who has made distinguished contributions in the fields of environmental chemistry or environmental chemical engineering, while working in any sector in Canada, e.g., academia, government, industry, for-profit/not-for-profit, private/public sector. Mehran Alaee was always very supportive of junior scientists and their research.
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The 2026 Environment Division Mehran Alaee Early Career Researcher Award is:
Chunjiang An, MCIC
Concordia University
Dr. Chunjiang An is an Associate Professor and the Research Chair in Spill Response and Remediation at Concordia University. A licensed Professional Engineer, he has established a world-leading research program in oil and plastic pollution control, integrating environmental chemistry and engineering to advance spill response, remediation, and sustainability, and his work has gained wide media coverage both nationally and internationally. Since joining Concordia in 2018, Dr. An has received early promotion to Associate Professor and has secured over $9 million in competitive research funding as Principal Investigator from NSERC, NRCan, DFO, ECCC, and FRQNT, demonstrating exceptional independence. He has published over 240 peer-reviewed papers and 90 conference presentations, and supervised more than 70 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, several of whom received prestigious distinctions including the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship. As Managing Editor or Associate Editor for five journals and Guest Editor of 14 special issues, he has elevated research dissemination in environmental chemistry. He has organized major international events such as the IOSSC 2022 & 2026 and the PEOPLE 2023 Conference. Recipient of the Concordia Research Impact Award (2024) and CSCE EDI Leadership Award (2025), Dr. An exemplifies excellence, innovation, and mentorship in environmental science and engineering.
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Past Winners