2019 Centennial Leadership Award Recipient

Dr. Nigel Shrive, P.Eng., has had a distinguished career that includes research on the skeletal and cardiovascular systems, as well as masonry. He is a gifted leader and educator who has mentored hundreds of students over the course of his academic career, fostering an environment of support and collaboration. This is evidenced by the fact that he has won every available Schulich School of Engineering award for teaching excellence.

Dr. Shrive has been involved with the University of Calgary for most of his career: previous positions include associate dean of student affairs and the head of civil engineering, and he has served as professor of civil engineering for more than 36 years. He also led the creation of the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program and served as director of the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, the first non-medical professional in charge of that institution.

Experienced in masonry, Dr. Shrive received a national nod in 2006 when the Canadian government called for an evaluation of the Parliament Buildings and their ability to withstand an earthquake. Deemed one of the few people in the country with the expertise to make the assessment, he predicted that the buildings did not need major reinforcement to resist an earthquake. His assessment was confirmed when an earthquake hit the region in 2010.

Dr. Shrive’s expertise on structures extends to the human form: he set a benchmark for innovation early on when, as a doctoral candidate at the University of Oxford, he invented an artificial knee that has since been implanted in thousands of patients worldwide and is still used widely today.

With decades of accomplishments spanning two distinct disciplines, Dr. Shrive is truly a leader within the engineering field. And with a commitment to shaping the careers of those in academia, he is paving the way for others to follow