June 30, 2008

Schulich professor and former dean named to national research council

Dr. S.C. (Chan) Wirasinghe, civil engineering professor and former dean of the Schulich School of Engineering, has been appointed to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. NSERC is a federal agency that encourages scientific discovery and innovation by funding thousands of university research projects annually.

Dr. Wirasinghe has more than three decades of experience in transportation engineering and planning. He's an international consultant on airport planning and municipal public transportation systems.

After the 2004 tsunami that devastated parts of his home country of Sri Lanka, Dr. Wirasinghe founded the International Institute for Infrastructure Renewal and Reconstruction. The organization conducts research on mitigating the effects of large natural disasters and improving public warning and evacuation systems.

"With a solid background in engineering, Dr. Wirasinghe is well equipped to assist the Council in its continued support of university research in science and engineering," said Industry Minister Jim Prentice, whose portfolio includes responsibility for the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Dr. Wirasinghe's expertise has earned him several awards including Calgary's Citizen of the Year in 2005. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Advanced Transportation and a member of the boards of several organizations.