Meet Dr. Marjan Eggermont, Top 25 Women of Influence+ Award Recipient

Dr. Marjan Eggermont is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary. An artist and designer, she holds degrees in Military History, Fine Art, and Computational Media Design. Dr. Eggermont has taught in both the Department of Art and the School of Engineering, with research focusing on bio-inspired design, particularly how such approaches can contribute to the development of more sustainable solutions and tools. 

In 2024, she assumed several leadership roles, including Executive Co-Director (Education) at the United Nations University (UNU) Hub at the University of Calgary, Co-chair (Research) of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network Canada, and Academic Co-Lead (Democracy, Justice, and Sustainability) at the Institutes for Transdisciplinary Scholarship. As Executive Co-Director of the UNU Hub, Dr. Eggermont created new Transdisciplinary Master’s and PhD specializations in Water Resilience, with the potential for a joint degree designation with UNU. 

Currently, Dr. Eggermont serves as the Interim Associate Dean of Sustainability and the Program Lead of the newly established Sustainable Systems Engineering program (SUSE). The program equips students with the tools to model systems that address the needs of all people while remaining within the planet’s means. 

Dr. Eggermont helped launch the first Remote Northern Sustainable Systems experience at Kluane Lake Station, Yukon, for SUSE students. This mandatory week-long course, located 220 kilometers north of Whitehorse, provides students with a firsthand experience of the beauty of the northern environment and the challenges that threaten its ecosystems. Additionally, SUSE students had the first engineering land-based learning course in Schulich, which introduced them to Indigenous Knowledge Systems at the Barrier Lake Station in Kananaskis. 

Dr. Eggermont is also the co-creator of Thirst, a new journal that highlights and introduces local and international water research expertise from both within and outside academia. In June 2024, she was inducted into the prestigious American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Hall of Fame for her innovative and inspiring teaching in engineering design.