By Jackey Locke

The Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science’s associate dean (research), associate dean (graduate studies) and an alumna are the newest fellows of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE).

Drs. Wei Qiu, Bing Chen and Sue Molloy are being honoured for their outstanding achievements and career-long service and contributions to the engineering profession.

The Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE) is a national institution through which Canada’s most distinguished and experienced engineers provide strategic advice on matters of critical importance to Canada. The independent, non-profit organization was established in 1987 to serve the country in matters concerning engineering. It is a founding member of the Council of Canadian Academies, along with the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. The CAE is also a member of the International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences, which includes some 26 similar national bodies around the world.

Fellows of the academy are nominated and elected by their peers.

“Drs. Qiu, Chen and Molloy are widely recognized and respected leaders in their respective fields of engineering who give freely to their professions,” said Dr. Neil Bose, vice-president (research), who was elected to the CAE in 2020. “Their exemplary scholarship, service and mentorship reflect highly on Memorial. Sincere congratulations to all three on this deserving recognition.”

Dr. Wei Qiu

Dr. Qiu is a professor in the Department of Ocean and Naval Architectural Engineering and served as head since 2016. He was recently appointed the interim associate dean (research).

One of the world’s leading specialists in marine hydrodynamics, Dr. Qiu, who joined Memorial in 2004, specializes in solving fluid-structure interaction problems using experimental and numerical methods. He has been involved in numerous projects with the marine and offshore industry, government agencies and private sectors, including an NSERC CREATE program on offshore technology research in 2009.

He has made significant contributions to the field of ocean engineering and naval architecture in terms of student training, undergraduate and graduate programs, solving industry problems, publications, software packages being used by the marine and offshore industry. He has also led international technical committees, including chair of the ITTC Ocean Engineering Committee to develop model testing procedures and guidelines. Dr. Qiu has also led the establishment of the Canadian Network for Innovative Shipbuilding, Marine Research and Training (CISMaRT) to foster collaboration among government, industry and academia in the marine sector.

He is a fellow of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA) and a fellow of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME).

“I am honoured to join the distinguished peers of the Canadian Academy of Engineering,” said Dr. Qiu. “After I shared this news with one of my colleagues, he congratulated me and reckoned, ‘You (Dr. Qiu) are not finished yet!’ Indeed, my work is far from over. I am thrilled by this recognition to continue dedicating myself to ocean and naval architectural engineering in Canada. I am very grateful to my colleagues, students and partners in the marine sector."

Dr. Bing Chen

Dr. Chen is the acting associate dean (graduate studies). He is also the UArctic Chair in Marine and Coastal Environmental Engineering and a civil engineering professor.

He is the former head of the Department of Civil Engineering and the current director of a global network on Persistent, Emerging and Organic PoLlution in the Environment (PEOPLE Network) (and NSERC PEOPLE CREATE). He is also a fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada and the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE) and a member of the Royal Society of Canada (College) and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.

Dr. Chen is an internationally recognized leader in environmental engineering and, particularly, in oil spill response, persistent/emerging contamination, water/wastewater treatment, AI-aided decision making, cold regions and climate change. He has produced over 460 technical publications, eight patents/disclosures and trained over 80 thesis-based graduate students and postdocs. He has served as affiliated faculty of UC Berkeley, senior advisor of the UN Development Programme, VP of CSCE, VP of the Canadian Association on Water Quality, VP of Sigma Xi Avalon Chapter and member of the RSC Expert Panel. He is the editor-in-chief of Environmental Systems Research and associate editor and editorial board member of eight other refereed journals. As a registered professional engineer, he has provided consulting service in Canada and worldwide.

“I am thrilled to receive this prestigious award,” said Dr. Chen. “On one hand, it is an important recognition of my past achievements and contributions; and on the other hand, I see this a milestone and stimulus for my further efforts and endeavours in advancing environmental engineering research and education and developing green and smart solutions to help address our environmental problems under a rapidly changing climate.

“I am truly grateful for all the support and help from Memorial, the Faculty of Engineering, my colleagues, my collaborators and sponsors and, importantly, my students in our Northern Region Persistent Organic Pollution Control (NRPOP) laboratory."

Dr. Sue Molloy

Dr. Molloy is chief executive officer of Glas Ocean Electric (GOE), a Nova Scotia-based company electrifying workboats and using AI-driven marine data to reduce GHG emissions. She received her M.Eng. and PhD degrees in naval architecture and ocean engineering from Memorial in 2001 and 2007, respectively, under the supervision of Dr. Bose.

In 2021 Dr. Molloy and her team won the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in Engineering. Dr. Molloy is a board member of the Council of Canadian Academies, a former elected member of Engineers Nova Scotia and recent co-chair for Canada’s Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Discovery Grant program. Dr. Molloy is an active reviewer for the US Department of Energy and national Canadian programs, is currently the Canadian chair of ISO TC 8, Ships and Marine Technology and is the international convener for IEC committee focused on river turbine performance.

Prior to GOE, Dr. Molloy was president and general manager of Black Rock Tidal Power (a subsidiary of Schottel GmbH) and for over 12 years has conducted research as an adjunct professor in engineering in a number of Canadian universities. She has been an invited speaker, panelist and moderator on ocean engineering topics for many industry, academic, and outreach events over the years, and gave the prestigious Canada Ocean Lecture for 2021. Dr. Molloy teaches about sustainable energy and related marine projects at Dalhousie University in Halifax. Throughout her work in industry and academia, Dr. Molloy enthusiastically supports women in engineering and energy fields.

“I am very honoured to be elected as a fellow to the Academy,” she said. “The advisory work of the CAE is so important to our wider Canadian society and I value the opportunity to be part of that. It is gratifying to see my work and contributions to engineering in Canada be recognized and I plan to enthusiastically continue to work hard to reduce the impact of our marine industries on oceans and climate.”

Drs. Qiu, Chen and Molloy are three of 54 new fellows, who will be inducted on June 27 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.