CCE’s Top 10 Under 40: Felicia Crozier

Photo courtesy Convertus Group.

This year, for the third time, Canadian Consulting Engineer launched an initiative to recognize up-and-coming consulting engineers across the country. We are now showcasing them on our website, in alphabetical order by surname.

Felicia Crozier, 27, is an engineer and process leader with Convertus Group for its biofuel facility in Surrey, B.C., supervising a team of 12. In addition to overseeing and optimizing the conversion of organic waste—more than 190,000 tonnes so far—into natural gas and compost, she leads tours for students, government officials, prospective clients and community members and has contributed as a consultant to the company’s other facilities across Canada.

“I grew up in North Vancouver and spent a lot of time with my family camping and gaining an appreciation for nature,” she explains. “I loved math and sciences and wanted to apply those technical skills to sustainability.”

Crozier found her niche while studying chemical and biological engineering at the University of British Columbia (UBC).

“The type of work I found most interesting was the creation of biofuel,” she says, noting it was a young and emerging industry. While anaerobic digestion had been used by farmers in the past on a small scale, environmental policies—such as carbon credits—were now driving industrial profitability.

“Everyone wants to divert their organics from landfill, minimize methane and hit their climate targets,” she says. “This facility was the first to integrate wet and dry anaerobic digestion at an industrial scale and it injects renewable natural gas directly into the FortisBC grid.”

The company, known at the time as Orgaworld, had never taken in students, but created a position for Crozier. It was the perfect fit: she quickly transitioned from intern to engineer-in-training (EIT) and was certified as a P.Eng. last year. As her career progressed, so did the efficiency of the plant.

“By actively improving our processes, she has contributed to our broader goals of sustainability and closing the loop for a better future,” says Ann-Marie Cooper, her colleague who nominated her for this award.

“I absolutely want to keep going and move things forward,” says Crozier. “As an emerging industry, there is so much room for improvement!”