On July 1, 2010, Elizabeth Cannon was appointed the eighth president and vice-chancellor of the University of Calgary. She is a passionate advocate of higher education and its role in driving discovery, innovation and creativity, in solving the world’s greatest challenges, and in transforming talented young people into successful leaders.
Prior to her appointment as president, Elizabeth Cannon was dean of the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary, and in this position, she propelled Schulich to the top ranks of Canada’s engineering schools. As an expert in geomatics engineering, Elizabeth has been at the forefront of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) research since 1984 in both industrial and academic environments, and this technology has been commercialized by over 200 agencies worldwide.
In 2006, Elizabeth was named one of Canada’s 100 most powerful women, and in 2013, she received the Gold Medal Award from Engineers Canada. From 1997 to 2002, she held the NSERC/Petro-Canada Chair for Women in Science and Engineering, and she continues to encourage young women to consider STEM careers.
A Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, Elizabeth Cannon was inducted as a Foreign Associate into the National Academy of Engineering in 2011. She holdsa Bachelor of Applied Science in mathematics and an Honorary Doctorate from Acadia University, as well as a Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and Doctorate in geomatics engineering from the University of Calgary.