Moyra McDill , BEng/79 / MEng/80 , PhD / 88

An expert in thermal-mechanical numerical analysis, Moyra McDill was awarded the Engineering Excellence medal from the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers in November 2009.

McDill is a professor and associate chair (undergraduate studies) with the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Carleton, a commissioner of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (since 2002), an author and a mentor to young engineers.

Her main research focus uses mathematics and physics to create “what if” scenarios to help predict how a material will withstand stress, such as during welding or other stages of manufacturing.

McDill was one of 10 women in the engineering class when she began her studies at Carleton. She was the first woman to get a PhD in mechanical engineering here and the first woman to be to a full professor. As the dean’s adviser for women in engineering, McDill helped mentor young women, remove barriers to girls and women in engineering and do outreach in schools.

In 2007, McDill published When Cancer Entered Our Family, a cancer resource book.