Interim Vice Dean (Graduate Studies and Recruitment)

Dr. Surgenor completed his B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering at Queen's in 1977, then to McMaster University to complete his M.Eng. at AECL (Whiteshell) before returning to Queen’s as a Sessional Lecturer in 1979. On a part-time basis, he completed his Ph.D. at Queen’s in 1983, at which point he formally joined the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering as an Assistant Professor. He has been instrumental in driving innovative research and teaching in the department since his arrival. Dr. Surgenor has held several administrative positions including Head of the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering from (1993-2002), Acting Head in 2007 and Associate Dean (Graduate Studies, Research and External Affairs) (2008 – 2013) and Vice-Dean (Research and Graduate Studies) (2013-2016). Dr. Surgenor believes in the importance of multi-disciplinary approaches, innovation and growth which was evident while he served as a Project Manager during the design and construction of Mitchell Hall and is currently an active member of Ingenuity Labs Research Institute.

In research, Dr. Surgenor held an early interest was in the area of pneumatic servosystems. Exposure to automation problems in manufacturing led to an applied research interest in the area of intelligent algorithms for machine vision systems. A developing interest is in the area of vision systems for off-road autonomous vehicles. Prof. Surgenor is also active in the field of mechatronic system design education. During his career he has taken industrial sabbaticals to work for companies in Australia, Sweden and the UK.

Dr. Surgenor has served on many external committees and boards to advance the field of engineering including becoming Chair of the Advisory for the Ontario Centre for Engineering and Public Policy in 2011. In 2019, he was named a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC). The EIC awards fellowships to Canadian engineers in recognition of their excellence in engineering and their services to the profession and to society. Dr. Surgenor is just finishing his term as one of the faculty representatives on the Queen’s Board of Trustees.