Rebecca Saari

Waterloo
Civil & Environmental Engineer

Rebecca Saari is an Assistant Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Waterloo. She is also an international expert in quantifying impacts of air pollution under climate change. 

Saari has delivered presentations, talks, and workshops at various universities including Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the University of Toronto. She has also presented for Health Canada and the World Health Organization. 

Saari’s analysis of air quality-related impacts of climate policy has been requested by the White House, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and used to support climate legislation in federal court. 

Among other honours and awards, Saari received the top competitive post-doctoral fellowship in atmospheric sciences from the US National Centre for Atmospheric Research. Saari declined the fellowship to accept a professorship with the University of Waterloo.

Memories of… Winter Roads    

I wretched the steering wheel but the used white Pontiac Grand Prix didn’t respond. I swore. I turned to my 13-year-old brother and apologized resignedly as we slide slowly inexorably into the snowbank. We were stuck on an icy hill between our second home, the North Bay Nordic Ski Club, and our home on Trout Lake.

Luckily, the first driver to happen by stopped to free us. We instantly recognized Mr. Al Garrett, also an avid skier, as the funny math teacher who voluntarily offered advance extracurricular lessons. 

This memory helps guide me now, as a professor, to encourage excellence, gently and with humour, knowing that conditions can be challenging and we all need help when we slip.