Ilene J. Busch-Vishniac will be the ninth person to hold the office of President of the University of Saskatchewan, as announced at a naming ceremony today at Convocation Hall.

Originally from Philadelphia, Penn., Busch-Vishniac is currently the provost and vice-president academic of McMaster University. Prior to that post, she was dean of engineering at Johns Hopkins University and associate chair of mechanical engineering at the University of Texas (Austin).

Busch-Vishniac holds a PhD in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and became a Canadian citizen less than five years ago. Her husband of 35 years, Ethan Vishniac, is a professor of physics and astronomy at McMaster and editor of The Astrophysical Journal. 

Busch-Vishniac takes office July 1, 2012 and will be the first woman to hold the post.

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Photo: Supplied