Dr. Jennifer Littlejohns is friendly, open and ready to speak about engineering anytime. She is enthusiastic, energetic and an advocate for young people going into science, especially women. Her journey to becoming the Director of the Advanced Clean Energy program in the Clean Energy Innovation Research Centre in Ottawa is an interesting one, one that shows dedication to the field of chemical engineering and the environment.
Jennifer has always been passionate about applying science to combat climate change. She completed her undergraduate engineering degree at the University of Guelph where she studied biological engineering and focused on bioprocess engineering in such projects as hydrogen production from brewery waste as a renewable fuel. She completed many co-op terms in various areas including research of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in drinking water and analysis of contaminants in fish and brewing. During this time, she identified her passion for research and set off to do graduate work at Queen's University in chemical engineering where she earned a PhD developing a bio scrubber for industrial waste gas treatment. She joined Iogen Energy, where she researched the conversion of agricultural waste into transportation biofuel, then Abbott Point of Care where she optimized bioprocesses for biosensor manufacturing. Here at the NRC, Dr. Littlejohns' work continues to focus on clean energy and clean energy management in the area of batteries, hydrogen, biofuels and renewables integration.
"I am really passionate about being an engineer. Engineering is an incredible choice to make as a profession because it is very versatile. It allows you to apply the science you know and keep the big picture in mind, while at the same time sinking your teeth into a problem. When I joined the NRC 9 years ago I felt confident and at home here, knowing that I was part of a dedicated team that was making a contribution to what I feel is the world's biggest challenge – climate change. It's an important time for clean energy in general, and it's exciting to be part of it!" says Dr. Littlejohns.