Shiv O. Prasher, Ph.D., P.Eng.

Degrees

BTech, MTech (Punjab)
PhD (British Columbia)

Short Bio

Dr. Shiv O. Prasher is a professor in the Department of Bioresource Engineering on the Macdonald Campus of McGill University. He has been a member of the McGill teaching staff since 1983.

Dr. Prasher teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses and carries out research and extension in the area of soil and water engineering. He has published 282 research papers in refereed journals and over 60 papers in refereed conference proceedings. In addition, he and his research team have presented over 184 technical papers at various scientific and technical conferences around the world. Dr. Prasher has been a member of the Canadian Society for Bioengineering (CSBE) and the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) since 1980. He was the President of CSBE in 2010-2011 and, in that capacity, also served on the ASABE Board of Governors. He is an elected Fellow of ASABE, CSBE, and the Indian Society of Agricultural Engineers (ISAE).

Dr. Prasher completed his undergraduate studies as well as his Master’s degree in Agricultural Engineering at the Punjab Agricultural University, Punjab, India. He received his PhD at the University of British Colombia, Vancouver, Canada, in Interdisciplinary Studies. He also received an Honorary Doctorate from Dalhousie University in 2004 at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in Truro, Canada. In 2016, CSBE/SCGAB awarded him the Maple Leaf Award. This award is given to honour members of the CSBE/SCGAB who have distinguished themselves as leaders in the profession. It is the highest award made by the Society in recognition of leadership in the profession. The award is given for outstanding personal qualities, society activities, and professional abilities. He also received an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from the Guru Kashi University in Punjab, India.

Active Affiliations

Canadian Society for Bioengineering (CSBE)
American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE)
Brace Center for Water Resources Management
Swine and poultry infectious diseases research center, Fonds de Recherche du Québec

Research Interests

Dr. Prasher’s research program has been addressing the crucial challenge of sustaining agricultural production while protecting the environment from agricultural sources of contamination. The main innovative features of his research program are the incorporation of novel, conceptual, and innovative computer modeling, data analysis and processing techniques into problems of water resources management and water pollution. These skills will be needed in global systems of the future and my research program permits not only their exploration and development but also effective graduate training in these areas.

Dr. Prasher has established a very strong research program in both bioenvironmental and soil and water engineering. A well-equipped laboratory for analyzing emerging contaminants, such as hormones and veterinary antibiotics, as well as pesticide residues in soil and water samples and a field lysimeter site have been complementing his research efforts and the training of graduate students in these areas.

The focus of his research program is on the development of best/beneficial on-farm pollution control practices, hydrologic modeling of subsurface-drained agricultural watersheds under changing climate, fate and transport of emerging contaminants such as hormones and veterinary antibiotics, pesticide modeling, and use of artificial intelligence in soil hydrology.

Current Research

• Reducing environmental pollution from veterinary antibiotics, endocrine disruptive chemicals, and pathogens in livestock manure
• Impact of alkaline stabilized biosolids application on fate and transport of emerging substances of concern in agricultural soils, plant biomass and drainage water
• Evaluation of alternative best management practices in critical contributing areas in agricultural landscapes under changing climate
• Safe and effective use of untreated or partially treated wastewater in agriculture
• Increasing water use and fertilizer use efficiencies

Current Projects:

• Role of Biochar Amendment in Topsoil for Reducing Environmental Pollution from Veterinary Antibiotics, Hormones, Nanoparticles, Pathogens, Pesticides, and Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers
• Modeling Fate and Transport of Conventional and Emerging Contaminants in Soil
• Preferential Flow of Water and Chemicals in Agricultural Soils
• Environmental and Agricultural Benefits of using Synthetic and Natural hydrogels in Soil
• Development and Evaluation of computer Models for Predominantly Tile-drained Watersheds
• Use of Remote Sensing in Precision Agriculture
• Applications of Artificial Intelligence and Data Mining Approaches in Soil Hydrology
• Analysis of Parametric and Climatic Uncertainties in Modeling
• Best Management Practices for Pollution Control

Patents

A US Patent on soil analysis, apparatus, and system, # 14/494,719, was granted in October 2014.
Another US patent, # 6027284, was awarded on bioremediation and bio-augmentation systems in February 2000.

Courses

Publications

View a list of current publications