Heather L. MacLean

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Heather L. MacLean is a Canadian civil engineer and systems engineer who works on sustainable engineering, especially energy and transportation. Her research focuses on systems analysis to improve sustainability, including bioenergy and alternative fuels. She is a professor in the Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering at the University of Toronto, holds the Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Systems and Technology Assessment, and serves as vice dean for strategy in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. She also has joint appointments in the Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry, the School of Public Policy and Governance, and the School of the Environment.

MacLean studied civil engineering at the Technical University of Nova Scotia (now Dalhousie University), graduating in 1988. She earned an MBA at Saint Mary’s University (Halifax) in 1990, then obtained a master’s degree in engineering and public policy in 1997 and a Ph.D. in civil engineering and engineering and public policy in 1998, both from Carnegie Mellon University.

In 2021, she was named a Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Systems and Technology Assessment. She is a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada (2016) and of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (2017). She received the Albert E. Berry Medal in 2017 and the Julian C. Smith Medal in 2019.