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Pearl Sullivan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pearl Sullivan
Born1961 (1961)
Died(2020-11-28)November 28, 2020
Education
Scientific career
Institutions

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

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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.[1] Following her time in Halifax, Sullivan completed a PhD in materials engineering at the University of British Columbia in 1990.[1] Her doctoral studies were supervised by Anoush Poursartip.[3]

Academic career

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Shortly after completing her studies she accepted a position at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore in 1991.[4][1] 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.[5] Sullivan joined the University of Waterloo in 2004 as a professor of mechanical engineering.[6] She served as Chair of the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering from 2006 until January 2012.[5] In 2012 Sullivan was named the Dean of Engineering, becoming the first woman to hold the position at Waterloo.[7][5] She held the role until December 2019.[8]

Awards

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

Death

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Sullivan died on November 28, 2020, of cancer.[1] At the time of her death she had been dealing with the illness for 12 years.[8]

References

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