Dr. Tufenkji leads a research group working in the area of (bio)colloid-surface interactions with applications in protection of water resources, engineering of biosensors and antimicrobial materials, and development of safe nanotechnology. Professor Tufenkji was awarded the Early Career Research Excellence Award by the Faculty of Engineering at McGill University (2010), a Fulbright Scholar Award for tenure at Harvard University (2012), an Excellence in Review Award from the journal Environmental Science and Technology (2012), and the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award in Science and Technology (2014). She was elected to the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists of the Royal Society of Canada in 2016. In 2020, she received a Killam Research Fellowship and the Environment Division Research and Development Dima Award from the Chemical Institute of Canada. The same year, Dr. Tufenkji was elected to the Canadian Academy of Engineering and received the Award for the Support of Women in the Engineering Profession by Engineers Canada.