Dr. Danielle Aline Salvatore’s extra-ordinary life adventure was suddenly cut short while enjoying one of her favorite and most treasured passions, snowboarding at Whistler, BC. Although Danielle’s life journey - which began on May 4th, 1991 - will be measured in decades, her outstanding achievements will be measured in centuries.

At an early age, it was clear Danielle was extremely intelligent. She was academically tested as gifted and excelled at every level of her studies. Danielle completed her B.Sc. in Chemistry with Honors at McGill University, and then moved to The University of British Columbia to earn a M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering. Danielle became internationally known as a graduate student for her pioneering work in CO2 conversion. She designed and built the world’s first membrane reactor for converting waste CO2 into fuels. While there are now thousands of researchers around the world working on her technology, this was not even her greatest achievement. She later invented a reactor capable of coupling the two distinct steps of CO2 capture and CO2 conversion. Danielle’s discovery, which was featured in the Globe and Mail, launched an entirely new field now known as "reactive carbon capture”. Since her graduation, this field has attracted hundreds of millions of dollars 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 carbon-neutral chemicals and fuels. Danielle's reactive carbon reactor is being commercialized by a Boston venture-backed start-up company, launched just last month.

Danielle’s leadership in the energy sciences earned her an invitation to move to the US National Renewable Energy Lab to lead their program on CO2 reactors as an NSF Presidential Fellow. She was set to depart for the position in March 2020, but she was unable to cross the border due to Covid. Danielle instead accepted the invitation to join the founding team of Miru in Vancouver to commercialize energy-efficient windows. Danielle soon came to understand the massive impact windows have on global CO2 emissions — and she felt that no one was solving the problem properly. As VP Technology, Danielle set out to disrupt the industry, and built a team of 40 people that are innovating windows to make buildings run more efficiently. Her innovative work in decarbonizing the built environment is widely recognized; Danielle was recently named the 2024 Clean50 Emerging Leader. Danielle's impact on future society will be felt for generations.

Danielle had a passion for athletics and excelled at whichever sport she picked up. At a young age, she was known for her fire and excellence with the Scarborough Sharks hockey organization before committing her time to one of the top soccer teams in Toronto, competing at a provincial level. In high school, she was able to balance her very busy soccer schedule while also captaining her high school team among many other extra curriculars, including cross-country and snowboarding. This progressed into her adult life where she began cycling, long-distance running, and swimming. Among various half-marathons and competitions, Danielle’s athletic highlights include completing the Ironman 70.3 in Arizona, the Giro di San Diego GranFondo and the Whistler GranFondo. She was actively training and was extremely excited to complete her first full marathon alongside her sister in June 2024. One of her greatest passions was snowboarding. She spent her winters chasing the snow and was happiest on the mountain. Her passion and love of sport, hiking and the outdoors was inspiring.

Danielle is survived by her partner Christian Furey and their beloved fur-babies Franco and Fiona, her mother Dianne Soucy (partner Rhett Blair), her father Gennaro (Gerry) Salvatore (partner Gabriela Silvestre), her treasured brother Michael Salvatore (fiancé Paula D’Aurelio) and her sister, best friend, and her rock, Jacquelin Salvatore.

Inside and out, our beautiful, brilliant Danielle was captivating and fun-loving. Her expressions drew a crowd wherever she was and enchanted the hearts of too many to mention. She will be incredibly and passionately missed. Her legacy of her unwavering commitment to Family, Friends, and her Community will be treasured forever. The world is a better place because our Dani was in it.

We are so grateful for the life of Dr. Danielle Salvatore – God Bless Her.

In Danielle’s honour, The University of British Columbia has created the Danielle Salvatore Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship will recognize future bright minds in perpetuity. In lieu of flowers, if you’d wish to contribute, please visit https://give.ubc.ca/memorial/danielle-salvatore/

For those who would like to attend Danielle’s Ceremonies of Life, please find the details of each below.

Vancouver

Squamish Funeral Chapel

Squamish, BC

Tuesday, March 19th, 2024

*Immediate Family and Close Friends - By Invite Only*

Brewhall

97 E 2nd Ave

Vancouver, BC

5:00 PM

Wednesday, March 20th, 2024

Toronto

Bluffers Restaurant & Event Center

7 Brimley Rd South

Scarborough, Ontario

2:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Saturday, March 23rd, 2024