John Newhook

Dean, Faculty of Engineering

About

John is currently a Professor of Civil Engineering and Director of the Centre for Innovation in Infrastructure within the Faculty of Engineering. He has previously held various leadership roles within the Faculty, in the Office of the Vice-President Research, and in the engineering community.  He served as Head of the Department of Civil and Resource Engineering in 2004-2005 and in 2010-2011. John was Associate Vice-President Research from 2011-2016, and recently served as Acting Vice-President Research. He is active in technical societies, including the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (currently serving as Vice-President Technical Programs), and professional activities, serving as a technical sub-committee chair for the Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code.

John takes on the dean role at an exciting time for the Faculty as it benefits from the many opportunities created by the current transformation of Sexton Campus through the IDEA Project. His priorities for the Faculty include ensuring these infrastructure improvements enrich the student experience and allow Dal to become more fully engaged as an academic partner in the growing entrepreneurial activities of the region. John will maintain the Faculty’s focus on supporting diverse students, faculty and staff and seek new ways to encourage more women to enter into the field as the engineering student population continues to grow. Increasing recognition of the Faculty’s world-leading research will also be a key priority, particularly as it supports the advancement of sustainable technologies, increases the competitiveness of our region’s industries and improves communities and lives.

John received his Bachelor of Civil Engineering (1989) and his Masters of Applied Science (1993) from the Technical University of Nova Scotia and his Doctor of Philosophy in Structural Engineering from Dalhousie University in 1997. Building on an initial career in consulting engineering, he began his academic career at the University of Calgary, returning to Halifax and Dalhousie in 2001. His research has focused primarily on improvements in bridge materials, design, assessment and operation. He has retained a strong connection to engineering practice and innovation through developing research partnerships with and providing expert advice to various Atlantic Canadian companies, projects and provincial departments of transportation.