Carleton University President Benoit-Antoine Bacon and Provost Jerry Tomberlin are pleased to announce the appointment of Larry Kostiuk as Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Design. Kostiuk joins Carleton from the University of Alberta and will begin a five-year term on July 1, 2019.
“Larry’s proven leadership, experience as an academic administrator and his clear vision for our Faculty make him a fantastic choice for this key role,” said Provost Tomberlin, who chaired the search committee. “Please join me in congratulating and welcoming him to the Carleton community.”
Kostiuk joined the University of Alberta in 1993 and served as Associate Vice-President (Research) after a transformative decade as Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. While in the Office of the Vice-President (Research), he also led Future Energy Systems, a $75-million research initiative launched by the University of Alberta under the Government of Canada’s Canada First Research Excellence Fund.
Now on administrative leave, he works as a Special Advisor to the Associate Deputy Minister of the Government of Alberta’s Economic Development and Trade Ministry.
Kostiuk holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Calgary, a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alberta and a PhD in Engineering from the University of Cambridge. After obtaining his PhD, Kostiuk completed Postdoctoral Fellowships at the University of Cambridge and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California.
A well-respected educator, Kostiuk is widely published in the field of mechanical engineering and has provided consulting services for engineering firms since the 1990s. He was appointed as a Fellow of the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering in 2011 and of the Canadian Academy of Engineering in 2012.
“My impression of Carleton University, and especially the Faculty of Engineering and Design, is one of energy and optimism, pride and professionalism, and a continuing desire for teaching and research excellence,” said Kostiuk.
“I am excited to help shape a collective vision for the future. I believe strongly that academic institutions must recognize the value of balance: balance between teaching and research; specialism and interdisciplinarity. We need to dare to nurture a mix of foundational and explorative pursuits in an environment that is both stable and innovative. A key part of this balance must come from being an equitable, diverse and inclusive community.”
Kostiuk will succeed Fred Afagh who has served as Interim Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Design since November 2016.
“I would like to express my gratitude to Fred Afagh for his dedicated leadership to the Faculty of Engineering and Design while serving as Interim Dean,” said Tomberlin.
“I also thank the search committee for their conscientious work in completing a successful search and to everyone from the Carleton community who participated in the process by providing feedback.”