Dr. Mary Wells received an appointment to the Order of Ontario, the province’s highest civilian honour, in recognition of leadership that advanced education, research and access to engineering across the province.
Wells, dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Waterloo since 2020, was named among 30 appointees for 2025 by the Honourable Edith Dumont, lieutenant-governor of Ontario and chancellor of the Order of Ontario. The appointees will be invested at a ceremony in Toronto in 2026.
The Order of Ontario recognizes people whose service and achievements strengthened Ontario and Canada. Dumont said the 2025 appointees “represent the very best of our province” and that their work had “touched lives across Ontario and beyond.”
A materials engineer, Wells built a career spanning industry and academia, including leadership roles at Waterloo and the University of Guelph. She expanded pathways into engineering through province-wide outreach initiatives such as Go ENG Girl and Go CODE Girl and supported programs that strengthened belonging for equity-deserving students.
Go to Dean of Engineering appointed to Order of Ontario for the full story.
Dean Wells poses with Duke Gand, former student and EngSoc president, during Engineering Day.