Research Chairs

It takes the best to attract the best.

The Faculty of Engineering partners with government, industry, and other supporters to create faculty positions called research chairs. Research chair positions provide funding to attract and retain the best engineering researchers from around the world.

The Faculty of Engineering attracts more than $70 million in sponsored research funding from external sources annually, which directly impacts our more than 210 professors and 1,500 to 1,600 graduate students. The Faculty of Engineering is one of the most successful faculties across the University of Alberta in attracting Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) funding and is a leader in securing partner-based NSERC programs nationally.

The Faculty of Engineering currently hosts:

• 18 Canada Research Chairs (CRCs)
• 3 NSERC Industrial Research Chairs (IRCs)
• 21 University of Alberta Engineering Research Chairs (UAERCs)
• 12 Endowed Chairs and Professorships
• 2 Foundation-Supported Chairs

Canada Research Chairs (CRCs)

The Canada Research Chairs Program aims to achieve research excellence in engineering and natural sciences, health sciences, humanities, and social sciences. They invest up to $311 million per year to attract and retain some of the world's most accomplished and promising minds.

• Amina Hussein
  Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
  Canada Research Chair in Laser-Plasma Based Diagnostics (Tier 2)
• Aminah Robinson
  Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Fuzzy Hybrid Decision Support Systems for Construction (Tier 1)
• Amit Kumar
  Professor, Mechanical Engineering
  Canada Research Chair in Assessment of Energy Systems (Tier 1)
• Clayton Deutsch
  Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Natural Resources Uncertainty Management (Tier 1)
• Cor-Paul Bezemer 
  Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
  Canada Research Chair in Quality Assurance of Intelligent Systems (Tier 2)
• Hao Liang
  Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
  Intelligent Energy Systems (Tier 2)
• Hongbo Zeng
  Professor, Chemical and Materials Engineering
  Intermolecular Forces and Interfacial Science (Tier 1)
• Janet Elliott
  Professor, Chemical and Materials Engineering
  Thermodynamics (Tier 1)
• João Soares
  Professor, Chemical and Materials Engineering
  Advanced Polymer Reaction Engineering (Tier 1)
• Juliana Leung
  Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Canada Research Chair in Data Analytics in Subsurface Flow Systems (Tier 2)
  
• Mohamed Gamal El-Din
  Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Canada Research Chair in Sustainable and Resilient Wastewater Treatment for Reuse (Tier 1)
• Peichun (Amy) Tsai
  Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
  Fluids and Interfaces (Tier 2)
• Tongwen Chen
  Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
  Canada Research Chair in Intelligent Monitoring and Control (Tier 1)
• Tian Tang
  Professor, Mechanical Engineering
  Multiscale Modeling of Soft Materials and Interfaces (Tier 1)
• Tony Qiu
  Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Cooperative Transportation Systems (Tier 2)
• Vicente Gonzalez
  Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Canada Research Chair in Digital Lean Construction (Tier 1)
• Xiaolei Wang
  Associate Professor, Chemical and Materials Engineering
  Canada Research Chair in Batteries for Sustainability (Tier 2)
• Xuehua Zhang
  Professor, Chemical and Materials Engineering
  Soft Matter at Interfaces (Tier 1)
  

NSERC Industrial Research Chairs (IRCs)

The NSERC Industrial Research Chairs Program aims to create collaborations between universities and partners in industry and the public sector. These grants are funded jointly by the IRC program and the partner organization.

• David Zhu
  Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Urban Drainage
  Partners: City of Edmonton, City of Calgary, Stantec Consulting Ltd.
• Michael Hendry
  Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Railway Engineering
  Partners: Canadian National Railway Company, Transport Canada, National Research Council Canada
• Tony Qiu
  Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Intelligent Transportation Systems
  Partners: TELUS, Stantec, IBI Group, ATS Traffic, City of Edmonton

university of Alberta engineering research chairs (uaerc)

The University of Alberta Engineering Research Chair (UAERC) Program is a competitive program within the Faculty of Engineering, aiming to foster collaborative partnerships with industry.

• Arman Hemmati
  Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
  Emissions Reduction Technologies in Energy Transportation
• Ahmed Qureshi
  Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
  Advanced Manufacturing Processes and Automation
• Alireza Bayat
  Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Underground Infrastructure
• Biao Huang
  Professor, Chemical and Materials Engineering
  Smart Automation
• Bipro Dhar
  Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Environmental Biotechnology
• Carlos Cruz-Noguez
  Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Robotic Wall Construction Using Innovative Building Blocks and Processes for Enhanced Productivity, Safety, and Sustainability
• Hassan Dehghanpour
  Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Rock Fluid Interactions in Subsurface Energy Systems
• Hongbo Zeng
  Professor, Chemical and Materials Engineering
  Sustainable Oilsands Engineering
• Hossein Rouhani
  Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
  Neurorehabilitation
• James Hogan
  Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
  Development and Advanced Manufacturing of Next-Generation Materials
• Jing Liu
  Associate Professor, Chemical and Materials Engineering
  Materials Innovation for Energy Infrastructure Transformation
• Mahdi Tavakoli
  Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
  Healthcare Robotics
• Mohamed Al-Hussein
  Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Industrialization and Decarbonization of the Construction Process
• Mohamed Gamal El-Din
  Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Community-Based Wastewater Management Towards a Circular Economy
• Mohtada Sadrzadeh
  Professor, Mechanical Engineering
  Water and Energy Resilience Technologies
• R. Sean Sanders
  Professor, Chemical and Materials Engineering
  Pipeline Transport Processes
• Rashid Mirzavand Boroujeni
  Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
  Intelligent Wireless Communication and Sensing
• Ryan Li
  Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
  Smart Grids Automation
• S. Ali Khajehoddin
  Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
  Energy Systems
• Ying Hei Chui
  Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Advanced Wood Construction
• Yuxian Chen
  Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Resource-Efficient Buildings for Cold Climates

Endowed Chairs and Professorships

Endowed chairs and professorships are the most prestigious positions offered by the university and ensure the University of Alberta continues to successfully compete for exceptional educators and researchers who bring a wealth of expertise. The Faculty of Engineering is currently home to chairs in a variety of fields of engineering research.

• Arno De Klerk
  Chemical and Materials Engineering
  Mancal Professorship in Coal Technologies
• Carlos Cruz Noguez
  Civil and Environmental Engineering
  MCAA Northern Region Chair in Masonry Systems
• Clayton Deutsch
  Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Alberta Chamber of Resources Industry Chair in Mining Engineering
• Farook Hamzeh
  Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Ledcor Professor in Construction Engineering
• Hongbo Zeng
  Chemical and Materials Engineering
  Teck Cominco Chair in Mineral Process Systems
• James Hogan
  Mechanical Engineering
  George Ford Chair in Materials Engineering
• Karim El-Basyouny
  Civil and Environmental Engineering
  City of Edmonton Chair in Urban Traffic Safety
• Lianne Lefsrud
  Chemical and Materials Engineering
  Risk, Innovation, and Sustainability Chair
• Michael Lipsett
  Mechanical Engineering
  Ernest and Gertrude Poole Chair in Management for Engineers
• Morris Flynn
  Mechanical Engineering
  Engineered Air Chair in HVAC Engineering
• Qi Liu
  Chemical and Materials Engineering
  Glencore Chair in Mining and Mineral Process Engineering
• Robert Driver
  Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Supreme Steel Professorship in Structural Engineering

Foundation-Supported Chairs

• João Soares
  Chemical and  Materials Engineering
  Campus Alberta Innovates Program Chair in Interfacial Polymer Engineering for Oilsands Processing
• Yaman Boluk
  Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Nanofibre Chair in Forest Products