Dr. Brian Worrall , (Mar 2016)
Professor; Department Head
Brian M. Worrall
Born in Boston, England, Brian earned his B.Sc. (1956) and Ph.D. (1960) from The University of Hull. He also completed a post graduate diploma in Operations Research for Management in 1963. He worked in R&D for Alfred Bird & Sons in England before joining the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in 1963. In 1966, he joined the newly formed Department of Industrial Engineering at the NS Technical College (later Technical University of NS). He taught the students who eventually would become the first graduates of the Industrial Engineering program in 1967. He played a leading role in the ongoing development of the department, taught several undergraduate and graduate courses, and served as Department Head from 1970 to 1976. He also acted as a consultant for the creation of Industrial Engineering curricula at universities in developing countries, including the University of the West Indies in Trinidad. He was also the project leader for two large Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) contracts.
His research interests were in the areas of Facility Design, Ergonomics, Scheduling and Inventory Control. He was particularly interested in the applications of computers in the design and control of production systems, scheduling, work measurement, and facility location and layout. His work was published widely. He retired from the department in 1991, but continued to be an adjunct faculty member until 2004.
It was in Alberta that Brian met Carole (Park), and they married in 1966. Dedicated to his family and community, he supported his children's' interests and volunteered with many organizations, including Scouts Canada, Halifax District Youth Soccer Association, and Rockingham United Church. Brian and Carole enjoyed traveling to Brian's conferences and on many tours and cruises, and after Carole's passing in 2010 Brian continued to travel as often as possible. He rowed, swam, skied, and played soccer, tennis, and cricket in his younger days, and took up golf later in life.