Dr. Natalia Semagina

Biography

Natalia Semagina obtained her undergraduate degree in biotechnology and a Ph.D. in chemical kinetics and catalysis from Tver State Technical University in Russia. She has served as a senior lecturer and researcher at the University, and she previously worked as a research associate in the Group of Catalytic Reaction Engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL, Switzerland). Since 2008, she has been a Professor in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering at the University of Alberta. Natalia has held the position of Chair of the Catalysis Division of the Chemical Institute of Canada from 2020 to 2022 and has been the Director of the Institute for Oil Sands Innovation at the University of Alberta from 2020 to 2025. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Catalysis Foundation. Her research area focuses on experimental heterogeneous catalysis, where her group develops solid catalytic materials and studies heterogeneous catalytic reactions. Their goals include understanding reaction mechanisms and designing efficient catalysts while minimizing the use of scarce and expensive components. Current projects involve the production of turquoise hydrogen and carbon nanotubes through catalytic natural gas pyrolysis, as well as bio-oil co-processing of bitumen.

Research Interests

Experience

Courses