On July 1, Mary Wells will be entering her second term as Dean of the Faculty of Engineering. This term lasts three years, ending on June 30, 2028. Wells first took on the role back in the summer 2020.  

Wells, hailing from Montreal, Quebec, began her academic journey at McGill University studying metallurgical engineering, and was a member of the varsity women’s volleyball team. She graduated in 1987.

Upon graduating, Wells began her career working in the private sector of the steel industry. She shared that “although I was very interested in the industry as a whole, something about working in the private industry wasn’t providing me with the emotional satisfaction I was looking for.” As a result, Wells decided to make the move back to the world of academia and continue studying and researching within the field of materials engineering to satisfy that itch that the private industry could not provide. 

Wells pursued further education at the University of British Columbia (UBC), where she earned a doctorate in metals and materials engineering in 1996. During her doctoral studies, she worked as a teacher’s assistant and discovered a deep passion for teaching and mentoring students. This experience solidified her desire to become a professor, making it her ultimate career goal.

Wells’ journey as a professor began at UBC but took off around 2007 when she received a job offer to work as an Associate Dean at the UW. Wells shared, “I was very excited when I received this offer, I felt that I could thrive as a professor at such a prestigious institution with an elite group of students.” One short year into her employment at the UW, Wells was appointed as Associate Dean of Outreach and chaired the Women in Engineering Committee. 

Fast forward to 2017, the University of Guelph was impressed with Wells and offered her the position of dean for the College of Engineering and Physical Science. In talking about this position, Wells shared, “Initially, I was a tad bit hesitant to take this position, I was not sure if I was ready or had enough experience to head an entire college, through talking with mentors and colleagues, I decided to take the leap.”

About five years ago, when the position of dean for the engineering faculty here at the UW became available, Wells was at the top of the list for potential candidates. In July 2020, Wells was appointed as the ninth dean since the Faculty of Engineering was founded back in 1957. 

In discussing her first term in the role, Wells shared that “the first few years were not at all what the traditional position of a dean looks like.” This was due to the forced closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Around this time, the engineering community was mourning the loss of a professor and a student. Wells was coming into this position at a tough time.

Regardless of external factors, Wells was determined to build and foster the idea of community within the engineering faculty. When asked what she found to be the biggest hurdle in addressing the pandemic, Wells shared, “I came to the understanding quite quickly that students were suffering from the need to hold lectures and class time in virtual and remote settings.” She added, “not only were they being affected academically, the idea of belonging and being a part of a community as a whole was seriously lacking.” 

Wells said that her number one priority was to address the competitiveness and closed off nature of the engineering community. But it was quite clear to see that the idea of an open community and a place where all individuals feel welcomed and supported is at the forefront of her priorities. 

In the past at UW, the faculty of engineering previously had a ranking system which would rank all students in their respective cohort based on academic performance, according to Wells. This ranking system no longer exists. Wells said, “We want students to focus on their journey, focusing on their growth and their personal bests, this ranking system seemed to create a type of hyper competitiveness where students were not interested in their growth, they were just interested in being better than the person ahead of them.”

Wells shared that the faculty wanted to emphasize the main pillars of community, collaboration, responsibility and excellence. This led to the creation of the Iron Pin Ceremony where students at the beginning of their academic journey taking the initial steps to becoming a Professional Engineer here at the UW take a commitment to upholding the four principles of community, responsibility, innovation and excellence. A legitimate pin is given to students to wear and serve as a constant reminder of their commitment pledge. 

Wells shared, “This is just another step in the direction to creating this inclusive community, the iron ring ceremony does not take place until students’ final year of study, we want to create this community and belonging as soon as students begin their journey here at the UW.” For more information on the design of the pin as a whole, click here. 

Wells shared that “Within Waterloo Engineering, I am most interested in creating a place where students from all backgrounds and walks of life feel as if this is a place where they can thrive, and the idea of becoming an engineer educated from the UW is a legitimate and inclusive career path for all.”