Meet Hannah Sadeghi. Collaborating across the globe to limit and mitigate the release of toxins into our environment.

By combining technology and science, our company is developing emission tracking and reporting that is helping manufacturers around the globe take concrete actions to preserve the environment and become more sustainable.

Name: Hannah (Reihaneh) M.Sadeghi
Title: EHS (Environmental Health and Safety) Project Manager – Environmental Specialist
Organization: ERA Environmental Management Solutions
Background: Water Resource Engineering, Environmental Engineering

I am most passionate about… creating a better, healthier environment for our children to grow up in. I strive to live by the proverb “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow from our children,” and that speaks very deeply to me about reducing pollution and toxic chemicals in our air and water. I believe strongly that limiting and mitigating the release of toxic substances into the environment means having better ways of tracking and measuring those emissions; knowledge is power. I use technology and science to help our industrial clients take concrete actions to preserve the environment and become more sustainable so we’ll have clean resources in the future.

I chose a career in biotech because… it combined my scientific skills with the most innovative technologies, making me feel like I can have a genuine impact. Working in biotech has allowed me to collaborate with global companies who want to do the right thing, and together we are using technology that applies environmental priorities to the corporations that are driving our economy. Biotech puts me at the forefront alongside those manufacturers that can contribute the most to a sustainable future.

I am most proud about… how the work I do is contributing to the development of better environmental regulations. Environmental compliance in the manufacturing industry relies on companies working together with regulators to provide accurate information about their emissions and processes. By helping my clients do the very best tracking and reporting possible, not only do I help them improve their own processes, I am also helping shape the future of environmental laws.

What’s the best part about working in biotech? The variety of industries and challenges that I get to tackle every day. I’ve had to learn on my feet and become an expert in so many fields that I never imagined before – but that’s part of the fun. It’s very fulfilling to learn a new industry and its environmental regulations inside and out, and then apply that in a way I can see making a difference.

How has wage subsidy impacted your career? Today, the most innovative technology products are coming from companies that started as small start-ups – this is definitely the case for my own career path. Wage subsidy for small tech businesses is essential for them to be able to hire scientists like myself – it’s building bridges between new graduates with specialized knowledge and small tech firms looking to make a difference.

To other recent graduates I would say… find what you are passionate about in life and success will follow – it sounds cliché but it’s true, trust me.

Most-admired scientist:  Rachel Carson (1907-1964), Marine Biologist and Environmentalist, who is credited with advancing the global environmental movement.

Favourite pastimes: Reading a good book to relax, and spending time with my family to reenergize.

Favourite Book: “Life Before Us” by Romain Gary. It tackles some difficult issues in a beautiful way.

Favourite destination: Spain – the culture, food and environment there are breathtaking.