One of Josette El Haddad's goals at the NRC is to find solutions to defeat climate change. She and her team at the Energy, Mining and Environment Research Centre are working tirelessly to exceed expectations and develop specialized sensors for effective data collection on storing carbon dioxide in geologic matrices, identified as an effective way to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Born and raised in Lebanon, Josette completed her studies in France and received her PhD from the University of Bordeaux in 2013. Her thesis entitled "Chemometrics Applied to Laser Induced Plasma Spectroscopy (LIBS) and Terahertz Spectroscopy" earned her the JP Huvenne Prize in 2015, an award for the best thesis defended in the years (2013-2014) presenting original results in chemometrics.
One of Josette's notable career successes is Lumine™, an NRC technology that combines LIBS with artificial intelligence for real-time conveyor ore smart sensing. In the throes of this project, Josette was able to demonstrate that nothing is impossible by developing the methodology for analyzing complex atomic spectra capable of quantifying mineralogy to make on-site quantification possible. This achievement is a first, and it has become a worldwide success.
As a research officer at the NRC, Josette feels the responsibility, commitment and joy of working with experts from different scientific fields with multidisciplinary capabilities to develop innovative solutions for the climate crisis. A world‑renowned expert in the spectral analysis of LIBS data for several applications, such as new methods in nuclear forensics, nutriments determination in agriculture soils, and oil sands characterization or contaminated soil detection, Josette is often invited to international events and workshops to represent her work at the NRC.