Pearl Sullivan Explained

Pearl Sullivan
Birth Place:Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Pearl Sullivan (1961 – November 28, 2020) was a Malaysian Canadian engineer and the former Dean of Engineering at the University of Waterloo, the first woman to hold the position.

Early life and education

Sullivan was born in 1961 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and immigrated to Canada in the 1980s.[1] [2] She graduated from the Technical University of Nova Scotia, now part of Dalhousie University, in 1985 with a master's degree in Metallurgical Engineering. Following her time in Halifax, Sullivan completed a PhD in materials engineering at the University of British Columbia in 1990. Her doctoral studies were supervised by Anoush Poursartip.[3]

Academic career

Shortly after completing her studies she accepted a position at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore in 1991.[4] Sullivan returned to Canada in 1994 after taking a position in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of New Brunswick, where she was twice awarded the university's Faculty Merit Award for Excellence. Sullivan joined the University of Waterloo in 2004 as a professor of mechanical engineering.[5] She served as Chair of the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering from 2006 until January 2012.[6] In 2012 Sullivan was named the Dean of Engineering, becoming the first woman to hold the position at Waterloo.[7] She held the role until December 2019.[8]

Awards

Professor Sullivan was a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering.[9]

Death

Sullivan died on November 28, 2020, of cancer. At the time of her death she had been dealing with the illness for 12 years.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Obituary of Pearl Sullivan . erbgood.com . Erb & Good Family Funeral Home . 1 December 2020.
  2. News: UW mourns Pearl Sullivan, pillar of engineering community . 1 December 2020 . CBC News . 1 December 2020.
  3. Web site: Handy . ErinRose . UBC alumna Pearl Sullivan named Dean of Engineering at Waterloo . apsc.ubc.ca . UBC Applied Science . 1 December 2020.
  4. Web site: Pearl Sullivan . innovation-nation.ca . Innovation Nation . 1 December 2020.
  5. Web site: Pearl Sullivan stepping down as Dean of Engineering . Engineering . University of Waterloo . 1 December 2020 . en . 19 September 2019.
  6. Web site: Truemner . Carol . Waterloo mourns the loss of Dean Pearl Sullivan . Waterloo Stories . University of Waterloo . 1 December 2020 . en . 29 November 2020.
  7. News: Dehaas . Josh . Waterloo Engineering hires first female dean . 1 December 2020 . www.macleans.ca . 24 January 2012.
  8. News: Pare . Mark . First female dean of engineering at UW passes away . 1 December 2020 . KitchenerToday.com . 30 November 2020 . en.
  9. Web site: Canadian Academy of Engineering In Memoriam . 5 March 2021. en.