Catharina Veldman, Class of '25

Measuring the Invisible: Catharina Veldman’s Work to Protect Workers in the Age of Nanomaterials

Much of what shapes modern medicine, technology, and manufacturing happens at a scale too small to see. For Catharina Veldman, a 2025 graduate student from Calgary, that invisible world became the focus of her graduate research and a pathway to improving worker health and safety.

Catharina’s path to occupational exposure research began in her undergraduate training in analytical chemistry. She knew she wanted to apply those skills to medicine and human health, and found the perfect fit when she connected with Dr. Bernadette Quemerais, whose work bridges advanced analytical methods with real-world worker protection. That alignment of interests sparked a research journey grounded in both scientific rigor and social impact.

Under the supervision of Dr. Quemerais, Catharina’s thesis, Evaluating Methodologies Used to Measure Carbon Nanomaterials in Occupational Settings, addressed a critical gap in occupational health research. Carbon nanomaterials are widely used and known to have toxic potential, yet there is still no standardized method to measure how much workers are exposed to them. Without reliable measurements, it is difficult to develop regulations that adequately protect workers.

Turning Chemistry into Protection

Catharina’s project set out to answer a deceptively simple question: how can we best measure what we cannot see? She evaluated a range of sampling instruments and analytical methods to determine which approaches most accurately capture worker exposure to carbon nanomaterials in real-world occupational environments.

One of the most valuable, and surprising, outcomes of her work was the use of Raman spectroscopy, a relatively new tool in occupational exposure research. This technique proved capable of distinguishing between different types of carbon nanomaterials, a breakthrough that significantly strengthens exposure assessment. By identifying not just the presence, but the type of nanomaterial involved, Raman spectroscopy offers a powerful new way to improve exposure monitoring and inform safer workplace practices.

From the Lab to the Global Stage

Catharina presented her findings at OH2025: The Workplace Health Protection Conference in Newcastle, United Kingdom, sharing her work with an international audience of occupational health experts. Her research excellence was also recognized with a Canada Graduate Research Scholarship–Master’s (NSERC CGS-M), a prestigious award supporting Canada’s top graduate researchers. 

Lessons in Collaboration and Opportunity

Throughout her academic journey, Catharina learned the importance of collaboration and openness. Working with researchers across disciplines exposed her to new perspectives and unexpected opportunities. Her advice to incoming graduate students reflects that experience: stay positive, remain curious, and be open to every possibility. You never know where a collaboration might lead.