Indira Samarasekera

Dr. Indira Samarasekera has made major contributions to research, academia, industry, and higher education. She was president of the University of Alberta (2005-2015) and, before that, served UBC as a faculty member and as vice-president, research.

She is currently a Senior Advisor for Bennett Jones LLP and serves on the Board of Directors of the Bank of Nova Scotia, Magna International, and TransCanada. She is also a Distinguished Fellow in Residence at UBC’s Liu Institute for Global Issues.

She was awarded the Order of Canada in 2002 for outstanding contributions to steel process engineering. In 2014 she was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in the US, the profession’s highest honour. She has received honorary degrees from six universities, including UBC.

A Hays Fulbright Scholar, she earned an MSc from the University of California in 1976. In 1980, she was granted a PhD in metallurgical engineering from UBC.