CFUW Dr. Margaret McWilliams Pre-Doctoral Fellowship 2021-2022

2020 – 2021

Value: $11,000

This fellowship, established in 1952, honours Margaret McWilliams, first CFUW President (1919-1923), who dedicated her life to furthering the status of women through improved access to higher education and the active involvement of women in public life. It is awarded to a woman who has completed at least one calendar year in a full-time doctoral program and is enrolled in full-time studies in Canada or abroad at the time of application.

2021-2022 Winner:

Heidi Cossey CFUW Dr. Margaret McWilliams Pre-Doctoral Fellowship WinnerHEIDI COSSEY

  • B.Sc. Civil Environmental Engineering, 2015, University of Alberta 
  • M.Sc. Environmental Engineering, 2018, University of Alberta
  • Ph.D. Geoenvironmental Engineering, 2019-2023, University of Alberta

Pit lakes are a proposed strategy for managing oil sands waste (tailings) indefinitely and integrating tailings into the surrounding landscape. However, the long-term success of this strategy is unknown. 

To address this knowledge gap and evaluate the long-term behavior of pit lakes, Heidi is accelerating natural aging processes in miniature pit lakes in the laboratory. The motivation for Heidi’s research is to ensure that pit lakes are an environmentally responsible approach to long-term tailings management.