Mark Saffari

Acting Head, Chemistry Section - Managing analysts responsible for trace metals, providing legal evidence as an expert witness in environmental legal cases

Environment and Climate Change Canada

Current research and/or projects

Management and ongoing direction, workload monitoring and day to day operations of the trace metals lab

Analyze and evaluate results to ensure validity and reliability of data, and adherance to the Divisions Quality Assurance Plan
Identify new analytical methods, techniques and instrumentation for the trace metals lab
Conduct trace and ultra-trace analysis of environmental materials for metals, using various analytical techniques such as plasma spectroscopy, in particular ICP-MS
Provide legal evidence and expert witness testimony in federal and provincial environmental legal cases
Provide scientific advice to federal and provincial scientists and program officers on analytical methodologies, sample handling, quality control and data interpretation

Professional activities / interests

Environment Canada's representative and a member of a technical subcommittee of BC Laboratories Quality Assurance Advisory Committee. Provided significant expert scientific advice for the development of the Strong Acid Leachable Metals (SALM) method. This method is currently used by most labs across BC for soil and sediment preparation for metals analysis

Member of the executive committee and Vancouver/Victoria Section Chair for the Canadian Society for Analytical Sciences and Spectroscopy; Organized various seminars and workshops and invited various guest speakers from the scientific community

Designated Analyst for Fisheries Act (FA), Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), and Yukon Waters Act

Education and awards

B.Sc. Chemistry, Simon Fraser University

B.Tech. Environmental Engineering, BC Institute of Technology

Two Citation of Excellence Awards

Key publications

Lim, D., B. Laval, M. Saffari et.al. 2008. Limnological Characterization of Pavilion Lake, British Columbia - an investigation of a microbialite-rich lake. Fundamental and Applied Limnology. (In press).