By Jackey Locke

Dr. Bing Chen has been appointed president of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering for 2024-25.

The Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE), created to develop and maintain high standards of civil engineering practice in Canada and to enhance the public image of the civil engineering profession, is a not-for-profit learned society founded in 1887 as the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers. In 1918, it was renamed as the Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC) and re-established in 1972 as a member society of the EIC under the current name.

With more than 5,000 members, the CSCE strives to grow and promote the civil profession in Canada and worldwide. It provides leadership in sustainability practices in civil engineering, including sub-disciplinary areas such as environmental, hydrotechnical, geotechnical, structures, construction and transportation, among others.

Dr. Chen has been a CSCE member for almost 20 years – as a student member, regular member and a fellow – and he is honoured to be elected as incoming president.

“I have truly enjoyed my journey and benefitted a lot through amazing friendship and collaborations with my dear colleagues and members in the society,” said Dr. Chen. “I will do my best to serve in the new leadership role to continuously grow our society and Canadian civil engineering community in a more sustainable and resilient way in such a changing and challenging environment.

“Together, we can advance our civil engineering knowledge, technology and practice, foster our next-generation civil engineers, and promote our civil engineering profession in Canada and worldwide.”

Dr. Chen became a professor in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science’s Department of Civil Engineering in 2006. He is the faculty’s current associate dean (graduate studies) and the UArctic Chair in Marine and Coastal Environmental Engineering at Memorial University.

He is one of the founding directors of the Northern Region Persistent Organic Pollution Control Laboratory (NRPOP Lab) and a pan-Canadian and global Network of Persistent, Emerging and Organic Pollution in the Environment (PEOPLE Network or NSERC PEOPLE CREATE program).

He is an internationally recognized leader in environmental engineering, particularly in oil spill response, emerging contaminant transport and fate, marine and coastal pollution mitigation, water and wastewater treatment and AI-aided decision-making with an emphasis on climate change and cold-harsh environmental conditions.

He has acted as PI or co-PI in over 70 research projects and contracts from diverse sources nationally and internationally. He has authored or co-authored more than 500 technical publications including over 170 refereed journal papers and three books as well as eight patents/disclosures.

He has supervised or co-supervised more than 300 highly qualified personnel (HQP) including 80 thesis-based graduate students and postdoctoral research fellows. As a registered professional engineer in Canada, he has provided his advisory services to government, industry, NGOs and communities.

He is fellow of the CSCE, the Canadian Academy of Engineering and the Engineering Institute of Canada and a member of the Royal Society of Canada (College) and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.

“Congratulations to Dr. Chen on this well-deserved appointment,” said Dr. Octavia Dobre, interim dean, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. “This appointment recognizes Dr. Chen’s exemplary service to the civil engineering profession in Canada and worldwide.”

Dr. Chen will serve as president-elect until the CSCE Annual Conference in June 2024.