Media

OTTAWA, September 13, 2011  —  Catherine Mavriplis, associate professor at the Faculty of Engineering has been awarded the Ontario Chair of the Chairs for Women in Science and Engineering Program (CWSE), by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The esteemed honour is a second for the University of Ottawa, as its first holder was Monique Frize, professor with the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

The CWSE Program’s intent is to increase the participation of women in science and engineering, and to provide women considering careers in these fields with strong role models. Thanks to the program, professor Mavriplis will be receiving more than $1.3 million in funding over the course of five years from NSERC, uOttawa and Pratt & Whitney Canada.

“Catherine Mavriplis’s knowledge and experience is truly remarkable”, said Mona Nemer, vice-president, research at the University of Ottawa. “I trust she will motivate future generations of women to pursue a career in science and engineering.”

“I am very excited to take on a comprehensive program to promote women’s participation and advancement in engineering and the sciences at the university level and in their professional careers”, said Catherine Mavriplis. “I am grateful to Pratt & Whitney Canada for their support and belief in the importance of a truly diverse workforce for innovation. NSERC’s program is unique in the world and continued support will help to explore the complex landscape and move forward.”

Over the next five years, Dr. Mavriplis will work with a team of researchers, professionals and program administrators at the University of Ottawa, Pratt & Whitney Canada, University of Toronto and Queen’s University to reach scientifically-minded women students and professionals across the province and to foster new paths towards advancement and leadership. An interdisciplinary research group under the Chair program will examine the history and status of women in scientific and engineering sectors, such as aerospace, and the effect of globalization on women’s participation.

Professor Mavriplis graduated from McGill University’s Honours Mechanical Engineering program and continued her studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Aeronautics and Applied Mathematics, where she earned the S.M. and Ph.D. degrees. After a postdoctoral appointment at Princeton University in the Program for Applied and Computational Mathematics, she began her career at George Washington University, where she earned tenure. Over her 14 years spent working in the United States she encouraged women’s involvement in Science and Engineering though funded projects. She recently joined the University of Ottawa in the Department of Mechanical Engineering where she continues to pursue her interests in numerical methods and fluid dynamics. Recently, she helped Pratt & Whitney Canada launch the Women’s Leadership Initiative that tackles the challenges that face women in their advancement to leadership positions.

The University of Ottawa is committed to research excellence and encourages an interdisciplinary approach to knowledge creation, which attracts the best academic talent from across Canada and around the world.