About Us > Governance > Mo Elbestawi

Mo Elbestawi, PhD

Vice-President, Research & International Affairs, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario

As vice-president, Research & International Affairs, Dr. Elbestawi is responsible for research activities across McMaster University and for the aggressive pursuit of new partnerships designed to capitalize on the univeristy's research strengths. He was appointed to his position on July 1, 2007.

Dr. Elbestawi had been dean of the Faculty of Engineering at McMaster for six years when, after an international search, he was chosen for his current position. During his tenure as dean, he raised the reputation of the faculty both in research and education and was a champion for university-industry partnerships.

Before taking on the role of dean, Dr. Elbestawi served in the Faculty of Engineering for 15 years in a number of capacities. He was chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering for two terms and was the driving force behind the establishment of the McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute. Internationally recognized for his research in the area of manufacturing engineering – specifically machine tools, metal cutting, and computer-aided manufacturing – Dr. Elbestawi worked for several years in industrial research and development, serving as head of the structural dynamics unit at Ontario Hydro Research Division.

Dr. Elbestawi completed his BSc at Alexandria University and his MEng and PhD degrees in mechanical engineering at McMaster University. He has published more than 200 manuscripts and has supervised 75 master and doctoral students. He is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, International Academy for Production Engineering, American Society of Mechanical Engineers and Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering, as well as a senior member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers and the Professional Engineers of Ontario.

He has received two teaching awards from the McMaster Students Union for Teaching Excellence, a Synergy Award for Innovation in 2003 and the Hamilton Spectator Publisher’s Award for Education in 2004.