Jim A Nicell
Professor & Dean of Engineering
Civil Engineering
McGill University
Canada
Biography
Professor James "Jim" Nicell is a registered professional engineer with formal training as both a chemical and environmental engineer. His research, teaching, administrative and consulting activities are diverse. The main focus of his research is on the development of enzymatic processes for the treatment of recalcitrant pollutants including industrial contaminants, endocrine disruptors, pharmaceuticals and other contaminants of emerging concern. Another facet of his work concerns the study of the fate and biodegradation of xenobiotic chemicals and their degradation products in the environment. And, finally, he is developing methods for the assessment and prediction of the impacts of odorous emissions from industrial and agricultural sources on surrounding communities. In addition to being actively engaged in the professional and scholarly communities, he has also served in various administrative capacities at McGill University including roles as Director of Gardner Hall Residence (1998-2003), Associate Dean (Student Affairs) of the Faculty of Engineering (2001-2006), Associate Vice-Principal (University Services) for McGill (2007-2012), and most recently was appointed for a five-year term as Dean of Engineering (July 2013 - June 2018).
Research Interest
1.Development of enzymatic treatment processes for aqueous contaminants 2.Measurement and assessment of the impacts of odorous emissions on communities 3.Biodegradation, fate and impacts of xenobiotics (e.g., plasticizers, pharmaceuticals and other emerging contaminants) in the environment 4.Sewer epidemiology
Publications
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Erythropel, H.C., T. Brown, M. Maric, J. Nicell, D. Cooper and R. Leask (2015) Designing greener plasticizers: Effects of alkyl chain length and branching on the biodegradation of maleate based plasticizers. Chemosphere, 134, 106–112.
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Grill, G., U. Khan, B. Lehner, J.A. Nicell and J. Ariwi (2016) Risk assessment of down-the-drain chemicals at large spatial scales: Model development and application to contaminants originating from urban areas in the Saint Lawrence River Basin. Science of the Total Environment, 541, 825-838.
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​Erythropel, H.C., T. Brown, M. Maric, J. Nicell, D. Cooper and R. Leask (2016) Designing green plasticizers: Influence of molecule geometry and alkyl chain length on the plasticizing effectiveness of diester plasticizers in PVC blends. Polymer, 89, 18–27.
