 | This biographical articleis writtenlike a résumé. Pleasehelp improve it by revising it to beneutral andencyclopedic.(October 2025) |
Beth L. Parker | |
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| Alma mater | Allegheny College, Duke University, University of Waterloo |
| Awards | American Geophysical Union and Canadian Academy of Engineering Fellow |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Hydrogeology |
| Institutions | University of Guelph, Morwick G360 Groundwater Research Institute, The University Consortium |
| Thesis | Effects of molecular diffusion on the persistence of dense, immiscible phase organic liquids in fractured porous geologic media (1996) |
Beth L. Parker is a hydrogeologist and professor at theUniversity of Guelph who has made exceptional contributions to the science and practice of Contaminant Hydrogeology and the protection of groundwater from contamination, that have been adopted internationally to protect water supplies in Guelph and many other communities.
She has pioneered novel downholeborehole devices and procedures used for monitoring bedrock aquifers at complex contamination sites worldwide. As of March 2024, she also holds 3 patents and more than 180 refereed papers,[1] is the most cited Canadian under the age of 65[2] for papers concerning groundwater contamination, and is also the director/founder of Morwick G360 Groundwater Research Institute located at theUniversity of Guelph and the associate director of The University Consortium.
Parker has an undergraduate degree in fromAllegheny College inenvironmental science andeconomics, a masters degree fromDuke University[3] inenvironmental engineering.[4] Parker began her career working in New York on industrial contaminants in groundwater, particularly in glacial and bedrock sediments.[5] She earned her Ph.D. in 1996 from theUniversity of Waterloo inhydrogeology where she worked on organic liquids found in porous rocks.[6] Following her Ph.D. she remained at the University of Waterloo as a research professor[5] until she joined the faculty at the University of Guelph in 2004.[7]
In 2019 Parker was elected a fellow of theAmerican Geophysical Union who cited her "for fundamental advancement in characterizing contaminant mobility in fractured sedimentary rocks".[8]
Parker is the director and founder of the Morwick G360 Groundwater Research Institute in which she works alongsideJohn A. Cherry in leading a globally involved field-focused research institute with the mission to provide new technologies to further protect underground water supplies. According toMorwick G360, groundwater is the world's most extracted raw material, with one-third of the world's population depending on it for drinking water. Globally, it represents a $400 billion dollar industry as the World's third largest sector, following behind electricity and oil.
Morwick G360's research focuses in three main areas: aged contaminated industrial sites; groundwater resource protection for drinking water; and preventing potential impacts to surface water from upstream unconventional oil and gas development.
The research institute is funded on average of 5 million dollars per year with contributions from governments, multi-national corporations, and big industry members. Morwick G360 is managed by 17 principal investigators (consisting of professors from theUniversity of Guelph and theUniversity of Waterloo) as well as more than 150 graduate students.[9]
Beth L. Parker's research center, the Morwick G360 Groundwater Research Institute,[10] was Established in 2007. Stemming from her work at the University of Guelph,[11] the researchers at her institute were committed to researching and improving groundwater science, and technology. The research institute mainly researcheddiffusion[12] and the adverse impacts of the movement of contaminants in groundwater, with implications for the remediation of groundwater contaminants. This research includes investigations intodense non-aqueous phase liquids (abbreviated DNAPL), or liquids not miscible with water. She has investigated how contaminants such astetrachloroethylene can be tracked in groundwater and how they can potentially be removed from aquifers.[13] Her research also includes tracking human viruses in groundwater, and the persistence of methane gas in groundwater which would be explosive if people extract groundwater containing methane from the subsurface.
Dr. Parker currently holds three active patents as of March 2024, all related to groundwater remediation technologies, emphasizing her contributions to innovative solutions for environmental issues.
Her patented technologies have been widely incorporated through environmental engineering projects regarding municipal water management projects.
Dr. Parker is a part of many different professional organizations, all revolving around modernizing and advancing technology and research within the scope of hydrogeology[14] and environmental engineering. More specifically, she has served on many different panels and committees throughout her entire career including the Council of Canadian Academies[15] where she has worked, provided insight, and expert advice on environmental and groundwater issues.
Throughout her career, Dr. Beth L. Parker has worked alongside and a part of environmental organizations, industry leaders, and municipalities to tackle environmental and groundwater containment issues. Most notably, her work with the City of Guelph, WSP, and Matrix Solutions Inc.[16] has provided innovative and scientific approaches to safeguarding water supplies within different municipalities, more specifically that of the City of Guelph.
Dr. Parker is not only a researcher but an educator and mentor at the University of Guelph. She has guided, influenced, and supervised the creation of theses regarding hydrogeology, groundwater treatment, and containment of unsafe bodies of water.
Beth L. Parker’s research and scientific scope extends far beyond the realm of Canada, as she addresses global water security and containment issues. Through her collaboration with over 20 institutions and 11 countries, she has had a significant impact on international groundwater science.
Parker has made significant contributions to the world of hydrogeology in the form of her publications, of which there are over 180 different peer reviewed papers as of March 2024. These stats make her the “most-cited Canadian under the age of 65 for papers in this field”[17] as per the Morwick G360 Groundwater Research Institute’s biography regarding Dr. Beth L. Parker. As of November 2024, her publications have been cited a total of 8015 times.[18]
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