Dean of Engineering appointed to Order of Ontario

Dr. Mary Wells, dean of the Faculty of Engineering, received an appointment to the Order of Ontario, the province’s highest civilian honour, for leadership that advanced engineering education, research and outreach across Ontario.

Wells, who has led the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Engineering 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.

A career built on collaboration

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 noted their work had “touched lives across Ontario and beyond.”

For Wells, the honour reflected a career grounded in partnership across academia, industry and community.

“The work I’m proudest of has always been shared work — building programs and communities that make engineering more accessible, more supportive and more reflective of the province we serve,” Wells said.

A materials engineer by training, Wells began her career in the steel industry in Canada and internationally before moving into academic roles. She held appointments at the University of British Columbia and the University of Waterloo and later served as dean of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Guelph. She returned to Waterloo in 2020 to lead Canada’s largest engineering school.

Alongside her leadership work, Wells built a research program in metallurgical processing that informed practices in aerospace, automotive and advanced manufacturing. She is an elected a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.

Expanding pathways into engineering

Ontario-wide, Wells opened doors to engineering by building outreach and supports that helped more young people see themselves in the field. From 2013 to 2018, she chaired the Ontario Network of Women in Engineering and helped grow Go ENG Girl and Go CODE Girl into programs that introduced more than 40,000 young women and their families to engineering and computing through hands-on activities and mentorship.

She also supported initiatives that strengthened belonging for equity-deserving groups, including mentorship and community-building efforts, student chapters of the National Society of Black Engineers and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, and an Elder-in-Residence program that provided Indigenous students with academic guidance and cultural support.

Beyond these efforts, Wells contributed to national discussions on engineering education and emerging technology through sector leadership roles and service on federal and research initiatives, including Engineering Deans Canada, the Government of Canada’s artificial intelligence strategy task force and the TRuST Network.

Appointments to the Order of Ontario are made on the recommendation of an independent advisory council from nominations submitted by members of the public. Since the Order was established in 1986, 933 people have been appointed.