Pearl Sullivan
Dean of Engineering
2012 - 2019
Just the fifth woman across Canada to head a school of engineering, Pearl Sullivan was a dynamic force for Waterloo Engineering and the entire University. Under her leadership, the Faculty advanced engineering education and research with revolutionary spaces and transformative programs that will ensure Waterloo remains a leader in engineering well into the future.
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
Born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sullivan studied in both Singapore and Canada. She received her BASc with distinction and MASc degrees in metallurgical engineering from the Technical University of Nova Scotia, now part of Dalhousie University. After earning her doctoral degree in materials engineering from the University of British Columbia, she started her academic career at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore in 1991.
She returned to Canada in 1994 to become a member of the mechanical engineering department at the University of New Brunswick, where she was twice honoured with the UNB Faculty Merit Award for Excellence.
WATERLOO ENGINEERING ACADEMIC CAREER
Sullivan joined the University of Waterloo in 2004 as a mechanical and mechatronics faculty member and served as the department’s chair from 2006 to 2012. As dean of Waterloo Engineering, she significantly advanced education and expanded the Faculty’s work in disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, nanotechnology, robotics and wireless communications. Sullivan also increased the potential for industry collaboration and government support to move forward key areas of research.
Sullivan devoted her life to the education of young minds and the care of her beloved family — husband Tom, a Waterloo civil and environmental engineering project manager, her son Michael (Emma) and daughters Veronica and Christina. She died in November 2020 after a 12-year battle with cancer.
LEGACY AND INFLUENCE
First woman dean
Pearl Sullivan was the first woman to serve as dean of Waterloo Engineering. Passionate about supporting students, she was committed to ensuring they had a full understanding of engineering principles as well as the tools and facilities they needed to succeed.
Reimagined engineering with E7
Opened by Sullivan in October 2018, E7 provides students with enhanced experiences to help them achieve their aspirations. In addition to lecture halls, study areas and special spaces for project work by students in undergraduate programs, E7 provides a showcase for leading-edge research, teaching innovation and entrepreneurship to the outside world.
She was also instrumental in creating E7’s Engineering Ideas Clinic, which helps students enhance practical skills through hands-on design challenges. In 2022, the clinic was named the Pearl Sullivan Engineering IDEAs Clinic™ in honour of her dedication to activities inspired to spark student self-learning and exploration.
Led the Educating the Engineer of the Future Campaign
Dedicated to the education of students, she introduced the Faculty's Educating the Engineer of the Future campaign in 2015. She worked tirelessly to achieve its ambitious objectives including increasing the number of graduate scholarships, establishing chairs in emerging technologies, and most significantly, building Engineering 7 (E7).