Dr. Emily Moore has been named the next director of the Troost Institute for Leadership Education in Engineering (Troost ILead), effective October 1, 2018. She is also appointed to a five-year term as an associate professor in the Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education and Practice (ISTEP). Moore has served as a member of the Troost ILead board of advisors since 2014.
“My passion is for people — it always has been,” said Moore. “I bring a technical background to the role, but what excites me the most is working with teams and unlocking the potential in people.
“I’ve been involved with university partnerships for many years now in industry, and I’ve truly loved every interaction I’ve had with Troost ILead, from giving guest lectures and advising on curriculum, to participating in its growing Community of Practice.”
As part of ISTEP, Moore will teach and conduct research on effective leadership. “The research side is a fascinating challenge,” she said. “I am excited to bring my recent industry perspective to the team, and to combine my technical background with the social science methodologies being employed by Troost ILead.”
Moore has a clear goal for her term as director: “I would like to see leadership education become part of the experience of every student who graduates from U of T Engineering,” she said. “Troost ILead has done tremendous work in creating new opportunities for students to engage with their own leadership potential, and I look forward to expanding on that. I also hope to further strengthen our relationships with industry, where our students will bring the tools we teach them here into the workplace and grow further as leaders.”
Professor Doug Reeve (ChemE), the founding director, will step down but will continue to be involved as a senior advisor to Troost ILead. Reeve will continue teaching and leading research on engineering leadership.
“Emily is a perfect person for this job: professional engineer, Rhodes Scholar, PhD and a wonderful person,” said Reeve. “She has had a distinguished career in engineering in innovation and consulting, has been a bridge between industry and the academy at a local and national level, and has an impressive record of leadership. She not only understands Troost ILead’s values and vision — she embodies them. I am very excited to be working with Emily as she leads ILead into an ever bigger and brighter future.”
Moore earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering chemistry from Queen’s University and is a licensed professional engineer. She was named a Rhodes Scholar and completed her doctorate in physical chemistry at Oxford University.
She launched her career at Xerox Research Center of Canada (XRCC), where in addition to leadership roles in research and management, she served as chair of the University Partnerships Committee. At XRCC Moore was a co-inventor of 21 patents and was awarded the Joseph C. Wilson Award, the highest recognition given by the global Xerox Innovation Group.
In 2008 Moore joined Hatch Limited as director of technology development, later serving as global managing director for water and, most recently, for innovation. She was also appointed chair of the Hatch Global Diversity Steering Committee. In 2011 she was elected president of the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering, and has served on numerous committees of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council. Moore’s leadership in an engineering context has been recognized by the Society for Chemical Industry Canada, and by Women in Mining, which named her one of 100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining.
Established in 2010, Troost ILead inspires engineering students to discover their intrinsic motivations and develop a foundation of self-awareness. With a vision to empower and inspire the next generation of engineers to build a better world, it prepares engineering students for leadership through course work, co-curricular programs, interactive lectures and community activities, while generating research in leadership pedagogy. To connect with local enterprises that employ engineers, Troost ILead has established a Community of Practice on Engineering Leadership which currently has nine corporate partners.
Troost ILead is housed within the Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education and Practice (ISTEP), a new institute created under the leadership of Dean Cristina Amon that aims to help reshape the way we educate engineers. ISTEP prepares the next generation of engineering leaders to create and invent new Canadian technologies, contribute to society, build a prosperous economy, and enjoy lifelong career success. ISTEP will guide this evolution by studying the professional competencies engineering graduates need to succeed in their careers, and how engineering practice is changing. This knowledge will be translated into innovative teaching and learning for engineering students at the University of Toronto. More broadly, ISTEP’s work will lead to new and better approaches to educating the engineer of the future.
