Jon Mikkelsen

Industry is engaged in all aspects of this program, and our advisory committee includes representatives from organizations involved in ship building, design and operations. Industry professionals in the naval architecture and marine engineering industries teach specific technical modules and give guest lectures, and our Master of Engineering Leadership (MEL) in Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering students will have many opportunities to work on technical engineering projects alongside industry partners.

Students who choose this program will have degrees in mechanical, civil or materials engineering and three-to-five years of related experience as designers, operators or users of vessels. Students will take a range of challenging technical courses, as well as leadership courses through the UBC Sauder’s Robert H. Lee Graduate School. This combination of engineering and business courses will give our students the skills to lead and supervise teams and manage complex technical projects.

I teach ship design, hydrodynamics and marine engineering, and my interests span everything from hydrodynamics, model testing and tidal turbines to developing more sustainable fishing-related technologies. I am the director of the Master of Engineering in Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering program, which I began developing in 2011 and which was one of the value propositions of Seaspan’s successful $8 billion bid through the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy.

I cannot stress enough the essential role industry has played in developing this program. Our industry partners see the need for talented engineers who are able to put innovative ideas into design and practice. UBC could not have created this program on its own — our industry partners have been there every step of the way and their contributions have been significant.