Committee Members

Vladimir Novotny is a Professor Emeritus at Northeastern University where until 2012 was a CDM-Smith Chair Professor of Environmental and Water Resources Engineering and Director of the Center for Urban Environmental Studies. From 1973 through 2002 he taught and conducted research at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI. Between 2009 till 2014 he was a founding member of the International Water Association (IWA) Cities of Future Committee. He received two Fulbright Scholar (Italy, Czechia) Awards and was elected a member of The International Water Academy (Oslo, Norway). He is now a parttime partner in AquaNova LLC. He was was a visiting professor at the University of Venice, University of Padova and Pavia in Italy, Capital Normal University (Beijing, China) and Beijing University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, and University of Chemical Technology in Prague (Czech Republic).He received his undergraduate and graduate degree from the University of Brno in former Czechoslovakia and PhD degree in environmental and water resources engineering from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN (USA).

In 1991 Dr. Novotny founded the Specialist Group on Diffuse Pollution and Eutrophication of International Water Association (IWA) for which he received from IWA the Sam Jenkins Medal award in 2002. Diffuse (nonpoint) pollution and water quality have been cornerstones of his research and publishing for forty years and he published in this field ten books and more than 1750 peer reviewed journal and conference proceedings articles and book chapters.

In 2006 he organized a workshop on Cities of the Future which was held at the F.L. Wright built Wingspread Conference Center and was attended by leading experts from several countries.  Cities of the Future is now an acronym for a worldwide movement of water specialists, landscape architects, urban planners and NGOs towards a paradigm change, resulting in planning, building and retrofitting  urban areas that would reduce water use, restore and protect water resources, and use energy without adversely contributing to the global climatic changes. He published four books and made numerous keynote presentations on this 21^st century defining topic in China, Japan, Democratic Korea, Europe, Canada, Czech Republic, Belgium, Italy and the US. In 2012 was selected by the US Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists to present endowed Kappe lectures on urban decarbonization and Cities of the Future at 10 American universities. His current research and publishing activity focuses on urban decarbonization and management of integrated water, renewable energy, and solid waste conversion to resources.

He received research grants from National Science Foundation, National Research Council, US Environmental Protection Agency (STAR Watershed and Exploratory Research Programs), Venicia Nuova and University of Venice, US Department of Agriculture, The Wisconsin Foundation for Independent Colleges, Water Resources Center (University of Wisconsin), and International Joint Commission (Windsor, Ontario).

Dr. Heidari’s research team develops new methods for reliable interpretation and integration of multi-scale (i.e., pore-scale, core-scale, and well-log-scale) formation data measured in the laboratory or the subsurface in challenging formations such as organic-rich mudrocks and carbonate formations. These new unconventional methods include (a) laboratory measurement techniques and (b) interpretation techniques to characterize unconventional rocks, where conventional methods often fail. Her team’s research outcomes improve the evaluation of static and dynamic formation properties, which leads to enhanced reservoir characterization and production planning in both conventional and unconventional reservoirs.

Prof. Sally M. Benson, who joined Stanford University in 2007, is the Precourt Family Professor in the Department of Energy Resources Engineering in the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences; she studies technologies and pathways to reducing greenhouse gas emissions including geologic storage of CO2 in deep underground formations and energy systems analysis for a low-carbon future. From 2021 to 2023 she was on leave from the University to serve as the Energy Division Director and Chief Strategist for the Energy Transition at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Prior to this, she served as the Co-Director of the Stanford Center for Carbon Storage and the Stanford Carbon Removal Initiative. From 2013 to 2020, she served at the Director and Co-Director of the Precourt Institute for Energy. She also served as the Director of the Global Climate and Energy Project from 2009 to 2019.

Prior to joining Stanford, Benson was Division Director for Earth Sciences, Associate Laboratory Director for Energy Sciences and Deputy Director at LBNL.

Dr. Alireza Nouri is a Professor of Petroleum Engineering at the University of Alberta, specializing in advancing innovative energy and environmental solutions technologies. With a robust academic background, including a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, Dr. Nouri has dedicated his career to addressing critical challenges in the petroleum industry, particularly in geomechanics, hydraulic fracturing, and sand production prediction. He is the developer of the patent-pending CP-SAGD+ technology, which recovers waste heat from abandoned steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) pads to generate zero-emission electricity while enhancing bitumen recovery. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Nouri also spearheaded the development of a novel air disinfection technology to improve indoor air quality. As a mentor and educator, he actively integrates research with industry applications, preparing students to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving energy landscape. His interdisciplinary approach fosters collaboration among students from various engineering backgrounds, equipping them with the skills necessary for innovative problem-solving. Dr. Nouri’s contributions to the field have made significant impacts, and he remains committed to driving advancements in clean energy production and environmental sustainability, positioning himself as a leader in the energy transition movement.