Khalil El Hachem, PhD Candidate

Originally from El Akoura, a village nested on top of Mount Lebanon, Khalil moved to Canada to complete his master’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Currently, he is in his final Ph.D. year in Civil Engineering at McGill University. His passion for environmental research stems from his childhood life in the mountains, where human footprint is limited. During his Ph.D., Khalil worked on quantifying and reducing emissions from oil and gas wells. Khalil enjoys his research because it allows him to communicate with communities directly affected by contaminant emissions. For example, during his work in Ontario, Khalil collaborated closely with the Norfolk Haldimand Health Unit to measure hydrogen sulfide emissions from legacy oil and gas wells affecting the natural environment in Norfolk county. Out of the lab, Khalil enjoys getting away from the city to climb, cycle and hike in nature where he feels most at ease.