WWEST was founded by Dr. Elizabeth Croft, the 2010-2015 NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering for BC and Yukon. 

With the end of her Chair mandate, WWEST has been transitioned to the 2015-2020 NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering for BC and Yukon, Dr. Lesley Shannon.

Introducing WWEST 2015-2020

Dr. Lesley Shannon

2015-2020 NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering (B.C./Yukon)

School of Engineering Science
Simon Fraser University

Dr. Lesley Shannon is an Associate Professor in the School of Engineering Science at Simon Fraser University (SFU). Dr. Shannon studies computer systems design. She works in a rapidly growing field that combines custom computing hardware and software to design and implement application-specific computer systems for applications in a wide range of areas including robotics, machine learning, aerospace and biomedical systems, multimedia applications, and cloud computing. She teaches both undergraduate and graduate students in the area of Computer Engineering; she received the 2014 APEGBC Teaching Award of Excellence in recognition of her classroom and out-of-class mentoring activities and her contributions in leading a redesign of the School’s undergraduate curriculum at SFU. Dr. Shannon has long been an advocate of increasing the diversity of students and workers in science- and engineering-related fields and was instrumental in developing programs to support a successful transition from high school into university.

The primary focus of the NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering (B.C./Yukon) is to promote science and to engage students, industry, and the community to increase the awareness and participation of women and other under-represented groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The goal is to empower them to pursue science and engineering as pathways to exciting careers. A particular emphasis will be placed on increasing enrollment of women in the applied sciences (computing and engineering), fields that traditionally do not attract many women. Dr. Shannon will partner with Simba Technologies Inc., a company with a long-standing commitment to gender diversity and to increasing the number of women in the applied sciences through scholarships provided to post-secondary institutions in the province.

Contact WWEST

Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology

School of Engineering Science
Simon Fraser University
8888 University Drive
Burnaby, British Columbia
V5A 1S6

Tel: 778-782-3567
Email: wwest (at) sfu.ca