History and Achievements
McMaster Engineering is committed to the pursuit of excellence and plays a significant role in helping McMaster University earn its reputation as one of Canada's most innovative universities. The calibre of our research and the impacts we make are well known and respected in Canada and across the globe. Our faculty members are consistently awarded national and international recognition for pushing the boundaries of discovery and exploring novel, ground-breaking technologies.
McMaster Engineering has a long history of excellence in industry-driven research and student-focused education.
In 1956, McMaster named its first Director of Engineering Studies – Dr. John W. Hodgins, a Chemical Engineering professor from the Royal Military College – to develop a full engineering program for the university. The program was approved by the McMaster University Senate in February, 1958. The engineering building, now (John Hodgins Engineering Building) officially opened a few months later. The first class of 25 students graduated in 1961.
Five departments were established in the first two years – Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Mechanical and Metallurgical Engineering—and, later, Engineering Physics joined them. The first engineering degrees from McMaster were Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) degrees, with the first ones awarded in 1959. The first doctoral degrees (Ph.D.) were awarded in 1965.
The undergraduate programs grew in step, and by 1972, over 100 engineers received their (Bachelor of Engineering) B.Eng. degrees, with the annual total passing 200 by 1980, and in 2014 this number equalled 588. The year 1971 marked the start of the Engineering and Management program and later that decade, the Engineering and Society program began. In the early 1980s, the Electrical Engineering started its unique Computer Engineering program, and Mechanical Engineering began its program in Manufacturing Engineering.
The Faculty of Engineering began joint faculty appointments, research associates and collaborative research activities with McMaster's Faculty of Health Sciences. Courses in Biomedical-Engineering were offered as electives in all engineering programs.
In 1997, the Faculty of Engineering began a joint venture with the Department of Engineering Technology at Mohawk College and created the Bachelor of Technology program.
Deans of Engineering
Since the strong founding vision of John W. Hodgins, the Faculty has enjoyed equally strong leadership and an organized succession through its deans.
| Dean | Years served |
|---|---|
| Ishwar K. Puri | 2013- |
| David S. Wilkinson | 2008-2012 |
| Mo Elbestawi | 2001-2007 |
| Mamdouh Shoukri | 1994-2001 |
| Gary R. Purdy | 1989-1994 |
| Arthur C. Heidebrecht | 1981-1989 |
| John W. Bandler | 1979-1981 |
| Leslie W. Shemilt | 1969-1979 |
| John W. Hodgins | 1958-1969 |
About our first dean
February 15, 2018
Big Ideas: Meet Jack
John (Jack) Hodgins was McMaster's first Dean of Engineering
National Awards
McMaster University researchers are recipientes of prestigious Canadian awards.
Fellows of the Canadian Academy of Engineering
Fellows of the Academy are nominated and elected by their peers, in view of their distinguished achievements and career-long service to the engineering profession.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation.
Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada
Election to fellowship in the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) is the highest distinction for scientists, artists, and scholars in Canada.
University Awards
Our faculty members are consistently recognized for their work by the University.
Distinguished University Professors
Awarded to those who have made a distinguished contribution to the University through research, scholarship and/or education and demonstrate exceptional achievement by distinction in research, scholarship and education such that the work has made a major impact on a given field of study, and/or the work has had a major impact across disciplinary boundaries.
President's Awards for Outstanding Service
The President's Awards for Outstanding Service provide an annual recognition for employees or groups of employees who have made an outstanding contribution to the mission of McMaster University beyond that normally expected for their position.
Faculty Awards
L.W. Shemilt Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award
Established in 2006 to recognize the contributions of leading Faculty alumni.
Faculty of Engineering Entrepreneurship Award
Established in 2017, the award will be granted occasionally as merit warrants.
Faculty of Engineering Exceptional Service Award
Established in 2017, the award will be granted occasionally as merit warrants.
Faculty of Engineering Leadership Award
Established in 2004 to recognize an outstanding citizen who has contributed to engineering, the university and the community.
Faculty of Engineering Research Achievement Award
Established in 2010 to honour a faculty member whose accomplishments and contributions are of national and/or international significance and/or have had a transformative impact on their field of research endeavour.
Faculty of Engineering Teaching Excellence Award
Established in 2012, this award recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated exemplary teaching practices.
Distinguished Engineering Fellows
Distinguished Engineering Fellows acknowledges outstanding rising scholars who have the potential to be internationally recognized for being research and learning focused, and student centred.
Distinguished Engineering Professors
Distinguished Engineering Professors acknowledges leading internationally recognized scholars who show evidence of transformative scholarship that is research focused and student centred.
Distinguished Engineering Educators
Distinguished Engineering Educators acknowledges outstanding student centred teachers who are recognized not only for their contributions in the classroom and their interactions with students but also for transformative pedagogical improvements.
Dean's Teaching Honour Roll
The Dean of Engineering has established the Dean’s Teaching Honour Roll to acknowledge the top teaching instructors each academic year.
Dean’s Doctoral Mentoring Honour Roll
The Dean of Engineering has established the Dean’s Doctoral Mentoring Honour Roll to acknowledge the top mentors each academic year.
Veronika Czerneda Staff Award
An annual recognition of Faculty of Engineering staff members who have made an outstanding contribution beyond the normal expectations will be honoured.
2017 Applause & Accolades
The annual Applause and Accolades Awards Gala recognizes engineering excellence among our distinguished alumni, faculty, staff and students, as well as influential community and corporate leaders.
L.W. Shemilt Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award
McMaster University Faculty of Engineering Leadership Award
Faculty of Engineering Research Achievement Award
Faculty of Engineering Teaching Excellence Award
Faculty of Engineering Exceptional Service Award
Arthur Heidebrecht, Professor Emeritus, Civil Engineering, McMaster University
Faculty of Engineering Entrepreneurship Award
Prashant Mhaskar, Canada Research Chair in Nonlinear and Fault-Tolerant Control, Tier 2 Renewal
Robert Pelton, Canada Research Chair in Interfacial Technologies, Tier 1 Renewal
Ravi Selvaganapathy, Canada Research Chair in Biomicrofluidics, Tier 2 Renewal
Christopher Anand, $120,000 NSERC Collaborative Research and Development Grant
Gianluigi Botton, $3,750,000 Canadian Foundation for Innovation Grant, Major Science Initiative
Jonathan David Barnes Bradley, $155,000 Canadian Foundation for Innovation Grant, John Evans Leader Fund
Ken Coley & Neslihan Dogan, $357,000 NSERC Collaborative Research and Development Grant
Paulin Coulibaly, $150,000 NSERC Strategic Network Enhancement Initiative
Emily Cranston, $130,000 NSERC Collaborative Research and Development Grant
Charles de Lannoy, $250,000 Canadian Foundation for Innovation Grant, John Evans Leader Fund
Neslihan Dogan, $169,000 NSERC Collaborative Research and Development Grant
Carlos Filipe, $125,000 NSERC Idea to Innovation Grant
Raja Ghosh, $125,000 NSERC Idea to Innovation Grant
Mukesh Jain, $492,000 NSERC Collaborative Research and Development Grant
Younggy Kim, $227,000 Southern ON Water Consortium, $140,000 ON Ministry of Research Early Researcher Award
Thia Kirubarajan, $786,000 NSERC Collaborative Research and Development Grant, $150,000 ON Centres of Excellence VIP II
Andrew Knights, $525,000 NSERC Strategic Partnership Grant
David Latulippe, Carlos Filipe, Younggy Kim & Prashant Mhaskar, $305,000 NSERC Collaborative Research and Development Grant
David Latulippe, $149,000 ON Centres of Excellence VIP II
Robert Pelton, $417,000 NSERC Collaborative Research and Development Grant
Andre Phillion, $114,000 NSERC Collaborative Research and Development Grant
Oleg Rubel, $200,000 Canadian Foundation for Innovation Grant, John Evans Leader Fund
Ravi Selvaganapathy, $240,000 NSERC Collaborative Health Research Projects Grant
Heather Sheardown, $4,000,000 ON Ministry of Research, Research Excellence Fund
Chang Qing Xu, $144,000 Southern ON Water Consortium
Rong Zheng, $935,000 NSERC Collaborative Research and Development Grant, $482,000 NSERC Strategic Partnership Grant
John Bandler, Officer of the Order of Canada (for microwave engineering)
Emily Cranston, American Chemical Society’s KINGFA Young Investigators Award
Wael El-Dakhakhni, New member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, John B. Scalzi Research Award from The Masonry Society
Ali Emadi, Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors
Ahmed Ghobarah, Listed among Civil Engineering’s Most Cited Researchers, a list developed for Shanghai Ranking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects
Jennifer Long, Appointed Educational Chair for the Canadian Institute of Management Hamilton Chapter Executive Board
Allan MacKenzie, Awarded the Chartered Manager Professional Designation from the Canadian Institute of Management
Peter Mascher, Fellow of the Electrochemical Society, Appointed to the Board of Directors of the Canadian Academy of Engineering
Aadil Merali Juma, Fellow of John Dobson Enactus
Shinya Nagasaki, Fellow, School of Engineering, University of Tokyo
David Wilkinson, Silver Medal from the Metallurgical and Materials Society of CIM
Igor Zhitomirsky, Recipient of the CMSC Canadian Metal Chemistry Award
Dan Centea, President’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teaching and Learning
Greg Wohl, President’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teaching and Learning
Samir Ziada, President’s Award for Excellence in Graduate Supervision
Lydell Wiebe, McMaster Students Union Award for Excellence in Teaching, Faculty of Engineering
Philip Wood, McMaster Students Union Lifetime Achievement Award
Suvojit Ghosh, President’s Award for Outstanding Service
Diana Maltese, Veronika Czerneda Staff Award
Kristina Trollip, President’s Award for Outstanding Service
Terry Wagg, President’s Award for Outstanding Service
Kimia Aghasadeghi, Philip H Jones Award from the Canadian Association on Water Quality
Alison Bayzat, Ontario’s Canadian Engineering Memorial Foundation Undergraduate Women in Engineering Scholarship
Monika Bialy, Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarships, Doctoral Program, NSERC
Chem-E Car Team (Daniel D’Souza, Reda Elsawi, Kelly Huyen, Marwan Murad & Kyle Pearce), 1st place at North Central Regional Competition at Illinois Institute of Technology
Byungjun (Kenny) Choi, B.K. Afghan Memorial Award, Hamilton Section, Chemical Institute of Canada
HINT (Ahmed Elmeligi, Jacob Jackson & Nawal Behih), prizes from The Forge, W Booth Merit Fund, OCE TalentEdge, Women’s Enterpreneurship Competition, Python’s Pit, Lion’s Lair and OBI Entrepreneur Competition
Ryan LaRue, Chancellor’s Gold Medal, Steve Bonk Scholarship from the Canadian Water & Wastewater Association
Kern Lee, Sanjit Mann & Carol Perrotta, 1st place for Design of Experiments Project by the American Society for Quality
Lumago (Melissa Houghton), Prizes from Spectrum Pitch competition, W Booth Merit Fund, OCE TalentEdge and OCE SmartStart Seed Fund
Jake Nease, Governor General Academic Medal
Cindy Nelles, CIS Top 8 Academic All-Canadians
Eric Nogard, Carley German, Jessica Middleton, Bret Pajor, Cody Van Der Kooi, Matthew Winters, Overall Winners of the Troitsky Bridge Building Competition
Taylor Steele, PhD Candidate, MSU Teaching Assistant Award
Tool-Linked (Christabel Aryeetey, Ana Laura Naranjo & Bob Yang), Prize from W Booth Merit Fund
Kurt Westhaver, Water Environment Association of Ontario Scholarship
Ian Prins, Jacoby Joukema, Mikhail Andrenkov, Or Almog, 1st place in Ontario Engineering Competition