Dr. Danielle Aline Salvatore completed both a Master of Applied Science and a PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of British Columbia. Danielle became internationally-known as a graduate student for her pioneering work in CO₂ conversion when she invented a reactor capable of coupling the two distinct steps of CO₂ capture and CO₂ conversion for the very first time. Danielle’s discovery was featured in The Globe and Mail and launched an entirely new field now known as “reactive carbon capture”. Since her graduation, this field has attracted significant investments from the Canadian and US governments, and is currently viewed by many to be the most cost-effective way of converting CO₂ from the atmosphere into fuel. Danielle’s reactive carbon reactor is now being commercialized by a start-up company based in Boston.

When Danielle graduated in 2020, she was offered an NSF Presidential Management Fellowship to join the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory. She was recruited to help launch a massive program to scale CO₂ reactors and was set to depart for the position in March 2020, but she was unable to cross the border due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Danielle instead joined the founding team of Miru to commercialize energy-efficient windows. As VP Technology, Danielle built a team that is innovating windows to make buildings run more efficiently. Danielle was recently recognized with a 2024 Clean50 Emerging Leader Award for her work decarbonizing the built environment.

Donations to the Danielle Salvatore Memorial Fund will celebrate Danielle’s passion for research and immense contributions to clean energy technologies. Your gift will pay tribute to Danielle’s incredible life by supporting graduate students at UBC. Final decisions will be made in consultation with Danielle’s family.