Lianne Lefsrud, PhD, PEng

Area of Study / Keywords

risk management risk communication technology adoption organizational theory sustainability climate change energy systems

About

Dr. Lianne Lefsrud is the Risk, Innovation, and Sustainability Chair (RISC) and Professor Chemical and Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, with the David and Joan Lynch School of Engineering Safety and Risk Management at the University of Alberta. Her research examines methods of hazard identification and risk management, risk evaluation and social license to operate, and drivers of technology adoption in energy, mining, construction, railroading, and other industries. As most risks are multi-disciplinary in nature, it has also motivated her academic approach: from an MSc in Environmental Engineering and Sociology (the first Engineering-Arts interdisciplinary degree at UAlberta), to a PhD in Strategic Management and Organization, and now a tenure-track position back in Engineering. Given her multi-disciplinary research, Dr. Lefsrud works with scholars in engineering, computer science, cognitive psychology, business, economics, design, English literature, and environmental sociology.

Further, to understand various theoretical model elaboration/validation/ mobilization methods, Dr. Lefsrud moved from academia, to industry and regulation, and back to academia. Professionally, her career spans two decades with senior roles in industry, consulting, and regulation. Prior to returning to academia, she was the Assistant Director Professional Practice with APEGA, an Assistant Director in operations with Canadian National Railway, and worked in construction and oil and gas. Besides doing internationally award winning research, she also provides policy and strategy advice to government and industry. Even while not an academic, she remained instrumental in multi-disciplinary collaborations and publishing, to have the greatest possible impact on organizational and regulatory practices in Canada and worldwide. 

Research

Society is demanding ever more integrated and resilient management systems. Beyond technical design, as engineers, we also have a professional, ethical, and legal responsibility to ensure that the operations and maintenance of these systems includes risk management (broadly defined) that protects people and the environment. Since most losses have organizational failures as the latent cause, if we focus exclusively on technical design, we miss preventing these losses. This motivates my research: How can risk management systems be enhanced so organizations are better equipped to recognize, understand, and respond to unforeseen events and manage the risks?

Her research asks: How can risk management systems be enhanced so organizations are better equipped to recognize, understand, and respond to unforeseen events and manage the risks? In the past 10 years, Dr. Lefsrud’s research has been awarded $14+ million from 40+ research grants; 200+ articles, reports, interviews, conference papers, and keynotes and 30+ awards including the 2022 Canadian Society of Chemical Engineering (CSChE) Process Safety Management Award. She has also supervised 100+ students (PhD, MEng, MSc, and Undergrad) – many of whom have won awards and scholarships including Fulbright and Aga Khan. Dr. Lefsrud has also served on the Research Steering Committee, Sustainability Council, University of Alberta, Board Advisor to Ontario Power Generation, and other public policy advice. H

Teaching

Dr. Lefsrud teaches quantitative risk assessment, leadership in engineering safety and risk management, and sustainable design. 

Book available for pre-order: Organized Science Denial: An Action Plan for Solutions Hardcover https://global.oup.com/academic/product/organized-science-denial-9780198953036

Written and co-edited by Elena Bruni and Lianne M Lefsrud

Science denialism - fuelled by mis/disinformation - is a global existential crisis that erodes social cohesion and our collective capacity to confront crises like climate change, transform energy systems, and curtail pandemics. Despite scientific breakthroughs, denialism appears to be not only persisting, but accelerating. Research on the causes, consequences, and cures most often focus on individual-level denial. Yet science denialism is not exclusively caused by individuals' biases or lack of knowledge, which is addressed with more/better education, but also by other more contextual causes. Thus, even if we could talk to one person at a time, we will never reverse this denialist tide. Missing is a systematic examination of the role that organizations play for diagnosing the sources and levels of science denialism, understanding the tactics used, and strategizing effective solutions.

CME 494 - Special Topics in Chemical and Materials Engineering

Treatment of selected chemical and materials engineering special topics of current interest to staff and students.

CME 694 - Advanced Topics in Chemical and Materials Engineering

An advanced treatment of selected chemical and materials engineering topics of current interest to staff and students.

ENG M 680 - Advanced Topics in Engineering Management II

ENGG 404 - Engineering Safety and Risk Management-Leadership in Risk Management

Basic concepts of risk and consequences of loss incidents; risk management principles and practices; incident investigation, causation, root cause analysis; process safety management; the roles of government agencies, professional bodies and industry associations; workplace safety; risk-based decision-making processes; leadership and the human-factors side of risk management. The course focuses on the principles and practices of leadership towards the effective application and implementation of risk management in major organizations across all engineering disciplines. Industry virtual tours, case studies, seminars and team projects specific to the student's engineering program will be used to develop competencies and proficiencies in applying leadership and organizational effectiveness for successful risk management.

HGEO 581 - Advanced Issues in Human Geography

Topics vary; may be taken more than once for credit provided no topic is repeated. Classes concurrent with HGP 481.

Browse more courses taught by Lianne Lefsrud

• Insight Risk Systems
• Lianne Lefsrud's research website
• Research on Google Scholar
• Visualizing energy conversations