Lakehead University welcomes new Dean, Faculty of Engineering
December 2, 2020 – Thunder Bay and Orillia, Ont.
Lakehead University has named Dr. Janusz Koziński as the next Dean of the Faculty of Engineering.
Koziński is a globally-trained higher education leader, multidisciplinary researcher, creative thinker, arts enthusiast and entrepreneur, who brings international experience from pioneering academic institutions in Canada, the United States and Europe.
Prior to joining Lakehead, Koziński was the Founding President of the New Model Institute for Technology & Engineering in the United Kingdom and served as Founding Dean of the Lassonde School of Engineering in Toronto, a brand-new professional school with a mission to confront the complex challenges with creativity, compassion and a collaborative spirit. He was also formerly the Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan.
“Dr. Kozinski’s impressive combination of academic and industry experience, research accomplishments and leadership skills will be invaluable to our faculty of engineering,” said Dr. David Barnett, Provost and Vice-President (Academic). “He understands the importance of adapting to the changing and complex demands of the engineering profession and will help to enhance Lakehead’s reputation for unique, innovative programming.”
Educated in Kraków, Poland at the AGH University of Science and Technology, Koziński received his post-doctoral training at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and spent much of his academic career at McGill University, where he was a Sir William Dawson Scholar and Associate Vice-Principal of Research and International Relations.
Koziński’s research includes projects related to the environmental impact of energy technology, greenhouse gas mitigation, fabrication of nanomaterials, public safety in buildings vulnerable to bio-agents, and Mars exploration.
In 2006, Koziński was named International Chair in Bioenergy at the Institute for Advanced Studies and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in France. He was the only invited scientist from Canada at the time to participate in zero-gravity flights organized by the European Space Agency.
“I’m thrilled to be joining Lakehead University at such an important time for the University and our country,” said Koziński. “2020 has shown us all how interconnected and interdependent we are as people and as communities. We’ve learned that to solve the challenges we face now, and in the future, we need to work together more than ever.”
“Engineers must be bold, rigorous and unconventional if we are to make life better for humanity, address the climate crisis and build more sustainable communities. We must approach the future with a spirit of collaboration, humility and courage, and that means an engineering education that’s truly open to new ideas and to different perspectives. Together, we can build a faculty of engineering that’s original, open-minded and with youthful mindset.”
“I look forward to working with students and colleagues across every faculty, to make a positive impact on our community and on the wider world beyond our borders,” he added.
Koziński succeeds David Barnett, who became Provost and Vice-President (Academic), and Hassan Naser, Chair and Associate Professor of the Department of Software Engineering, who is currently serving as interim Dean of the Faculty. Dr. Barnett expressed his appreciation for Dr. Naser’s leadership in guiding the Faculty through a successful review of all undergraduate programs by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board as well as his work with faculty, staff and students as we continue to respond to the challenges of the pandemic.
Koziński begins his five-year appointment on January 1, 2021.
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Media: For further information or to arrange an interview, contact Jaclyn Bucik, Media, Communications & Marketing Associate, at 705-330-4010 ext. 2014 or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.
Lakehead University is a fully comprehensive university with approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and over 2,000 faculty and staff at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead has 10 faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being named Research Infosource's Research University of the Year in our category for the fifth consecutive year (2019); ranked, once again, among Canada’s top 10 primarily undergraduate universities in Maclean’s University Rankings 2021; as well as included in the top half of the Times Higher Education 2020 World University Rankings for the second consecutive year, and 98th among 766 universities from around the world in THE's 2020 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.
