Axel Meisen Full Interview

Dr. Axel Meisen developed an interest in chemical engineering in his native Germany and competed an undergraduate degree at Imperial College in London before immigrating to Canada. He describes his first summer jobs with British Gas in the United Kingdom, and at a smelter in Peru where he witnessed a human dimension to engineering through his interaction with the local workers there. He recalls several of his mentors including Frank Murray, head of the UBC Department of Chemical Engineering, Liam Finn, who appointed him Associate Dean of Applied Science at UBC, and Edward Roberts, who chaired Board of Regents at Memorial University when Dr. Meisen was appointed President and Vice Chancellor there in 1999. He describes several of his projects, including his work on the Washington Accord, the implementation of a co-op education program in engineering at UBC, and the creation of the Pulp and Paper Centre at UBC. He also describes his recent initiatives to build closer relationships between engineers and academia, government, and industry to encourage a broader participation of engineers in these fields. He reflects on the changes to chemical engineering that he has witnessed, including the new roles for biology and electrochemistry in the field, and the enhanced inclusivity and international aspect of the discipline. He encourages high school students interested in chemical engineering to take a long-term view of their careers including how engineering may change during that period. He advises new graduates to pay attention to the people on the team they are working with, and to think about what they want to come next in their careers.