S. Chan Wirasinghe

Dissertation: A Model of Coordinated Rail and Bus Transit Systems

Advisor: Gordon Newell

PhD Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, 1976

MS Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, 1973

BS Civil Engineering, University of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), 1968

The University of Calgary - Present

• Professor, Civil Engineering 
• Founding Dean (Emeritus), Schulich School of Engineering 

Chan Wirasinghe obtained his B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from the University of Ceylon (now the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka). He won a 4-year US Fulbright Scholarship to study transportation engineering at the University of California at Berkeley where he completed his MS & PhD under the research supervision of Professor Gordon Newell. He is currently a Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering at UofC. Formerly, he served as the Dean of Engineering for 12.5 years and was the Founding Dean of the Schulich School of Engineering. Located in Canada's engineering capital Calgary, the Schulich School bloomed under his leadership to become one of the top three engineering schools in Canada.

Dr. Wirasinghe’s research interests are in urban public transportation, airports, transport in developing countries and mitigation of natural disasters. He has well over 200 publications & keynote presentations. He has supervised or co-supervised 18 PhD’s, 4 PDF’s, 1 Research Fellow and 14 Master’s including the current cohort of 3 PhD and 3 MSc students. Six of the above are now leading academics. He has written extensively on bus, LRT and metro planning and operations. Dr. Wirasinghe was the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Advanced Transportation from 1990 to 2016. He is currently writing a book: Transit Systems – Analysis and Planning.

Chan Wirasinghe is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, the Engineering Institute of Canada, Engineers Canada, the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers, Life Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka, Hon Fellow of Geoscience Canada and Fellow of the Canadian Society of Senior Engineers. He completed 3 years on APEGA Council and 6 years on NSERC Council in 2013. He serves on the following international committees: ISTTT/IAC, DAAD/NASC, WFEO/CDRM and IIIRR/SC.