Noura Ziadi

Noura Ziadi is a Canadian research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), at the Quebec Research and development centre, whose research focuses on soil fertility and plant nutrition. She has developed technologies, methods, and knowledge for better management of mineral fertilizers that increase their efficiency while reducing environmental impact. Ziadi conducts her research on national and international scales in multidisciplinary teams that include government, university, and industry partners. Her research increases agricultural productivity and enhances environmental performance earning her recognition as an influential woman in agriculture.

Education Ziadi holds a B.Sc. in Agronomy from École supérieure des grandes cultures in Tunisia (1986) and an international certificate in cereal production from Italy (1992). She worked as an engineer for four years for the Ministry of Agriculture in Tunisia before coming to Canada in 1992 to continue her graduate studies. Ziadi obtained an excellence scholarship from the Fondation Université Laval to complete her doctoral studies. She has been working for the Quebec Research and Development Centre ever since. Without adequate phosphorus, plant growth and crop yield are reduced. Fertilizer phosphorus added beyond the crop's yearly needs can remain tightly bound to the soil and is known as “residual phosphorus” or “legacy phosphorus”. The availability of this legacy phosphorus is relatively unknown, so AAFC researchers at various locations across Canada are being led by Ziadi to investigate this topic.

Ziadi has been an adjunct professor at Laval University in Quebec City since 2004, at the Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Science in Beijing, China, since 2012 and at the Université du Québec at Abitibi-Témiscamingue since 2016. Award of the best student poster presented during the meeting of the Canadian Society of Soil science (1999) Scholarship from the Canadian Society of Soil Science (Student Travel Award for 1998) Scholarship of excellence from the “Formation des Chercheurs et l’Aide à la Recherche (FCAR) ’’ (Ph.D. 1995 and 1996) Scholarship of excellence from the “Fondation de l'Université Laval’’ (Ph.D. 1994) Award of the best student poster presented during the meeting of the “Association Québecoise des spécialistes en science du sol” (1996)