Memorial’s vice-president (research) and a pair of influential alumni are among the newest fellows elected into the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE).

Dr. Neil Bose, Dr. Rehan Sadiq and Jennifer Williams are being honoured for their outstanding leadership and innovative contributions to their professions.

Their appointments were announced on June 15.

Distinguished scholar

Dr. Bose, a naval architect and ocean engineer, is recognized as an international expert in marine propulsion, underwater robotics and autonomous underwater vehicles.

A member of many internationally prominent committees and boards, Dr. Bose was recognized by Engineers Australia as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Engineers in Australia in 2015.

He received an honorary degree from the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy, the oldest technical educational institution in Bulgaria in 2017.

“I am looking forward to working with the academy and following in the footsteps of some very well-known engineers at Memorial, including our former president and past president of the CAE, Dr. Axel Meisen, and Dr. Ray Gosine, just elected as a new director,” Dr. Bose told the Gazette.

‘Pioneering work’

Dr. Sadiq, who received his PhD in civil engineering from Memorial in 2002, is an executive associate dean with the School of Engineering at the University of British Columbia.

He completed his PhD under the supervision of Drs. Tahir Husain, Neil Bose and Brian Veitch in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at Memorial.

Dr. Sadiq’s expertise is in the areas of environmental risk analysis and lifecycle assessment of built environments.

According to the CAE citation, “his pioneering work on asset management of water distribution networks is a basis for policy-making in countries around the world. Dr. Sadiq has been instrumental in building the School of Engineering at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus as a leading incubator for high quality engineering education and research.”

‘Significant’ contributions

Ms. Williams, president of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, holds a bachelor of engineering (civil) degree from Memorial.

She is celebrated for her “exemplary contributions to the field of power systems operation, maintenance and leadership,” according to the CAE citation.

“As president of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, as well as through her other leadership roles, she has made significant impact in the province, both technical and through her leadership, on the planning for and efficient and reliable generation, transmission and distribution of electricity by hydro plants, thermal plants, and diesel plants, as well as the purchase of electricity from other renewable producers.”

The CAE is an independent, non-profit organization established in 1987 to serve the country in matters that concern engineering.

Fellows of the academy are nominated and elected by their peers, in view of their distinguished achievements and career-long service and contributions to the engineering profession.

The latest inductees join other fellows from Memorial and those with strong ties to the university community including researchers, alumni and friends.