Anders Nygren appointed as new associate dean (academic and planning)

Nygren first joined the Schulich School of Engineering in 2004 with a joint appointment in the Centre for Bioengineering Research and Education (CBRE) and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He has been instrumental in developing the undergraduate biomedical engineering specialization (BMES).

Nygren is enthusiastic about his new role and the future growth of the school.  “The ongoing expansion and renovation project and the additional enrollment funding provided in the 2014 provincial budget will create fantastic opportunities for the Schulich School of Engineering to respond to the needs of the engineering profession.  I have a lot to learn, but I am excited to be in a position to help shape the future of engineering education at Schulich.”

“My vision is that we will come through the enrollment expansion with a steady focus on producing excellent engineering graduates with the technical skills and professional preparation required to practice engineering responsibly in today’s world. We will continue to establish mechanisms to measure our performance on key graduate attributes. This will not only allow us to meet accreditation requirements, but will also provide us with important information needed to continually improve our programs as we aim to be one of the top engineering schools in Canada.”

In his role as co-director of the CBRE for the past three years, Nygren has worked with faculty, staff, and students from all departments in the school to make the biomedical engineering specialization a successful program.

Nygren also has a track record of involvement in interdisciplinary initiatives across campus, including as faculty mentor for the University of Calgary International Genetically Engineered Machine competition (iGEM) team for several years. He is also focused on teaching excellence and student success. Nygren was part of the ENGG 225 teaching team that received a Common Core Teaching Excellence Award in 2013.

“I have seen first-hand how great things happen when we all work together as a school,” says Nygren. “I am looking forward to continuing to work with all these wonderful people on a larger scale, and to learn about and contribute to new developments across the entire school.”