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Lauren Tribe appointed chair of Ontario Network of Women in Engineering

Lauren Tribe will commence her role as ONWiE chair on July 1, 2026 (Christopher Kindratsky/Western Communications)

Lauren Tribe, a professor in the department of chemical and biochemical engineering at Western University, has been appointed the next Chair of the Ontario Network of Women in Engineering (ONWiE).

Tribe will assume the position of Chair on July 1, 2026. This will be the first time that a faculty member from Western holds this role.

ONWiE was established in 2005 and is a network of 30 engineering schools across Ontario and throughout Canada that collectively share resources to encourage girls and non-binary youth across the country to pursue careers in engineering. They also support current women engineers and students while leading outreach programs such as Go ENG Girl and Go CODE Girl.

“I am honoured and excited to take on this role,” says Tribe. “I am thankful to Engineering Deans Ontario and the ONWiE Community for their confidence in me.”

Tribe brings over two decades of experience as an educator, researcher and advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion in engineering. She is a long-standing member of ONWiE and has held leadership roles throughout Western Engineering, including Assistant Dean of first-year studies and Associate Chair of undergraduate studies for chemical and biochemical engineering.

“Professor Tribe has consistently demonstrated that innovation in education and commitment to inclusion go hand in hand," says Ken Coley, dean of Western Engineering. “We as a faculty are deeply committed to lowering the barriers to engineering for women, and Lauren has been a leader in this work at Western. I am incredibly excited to see the impact she will achieve from the platform of the ONWiE Chair”

As Chair, Tribe will lead ONWiE’s strategic direction and work alongside partners in academia, industry and government to advance gender equity in engineering education and practice.

“I look forward to continuing the amazing work of the previous chairs and to the opportunities to promote engineering to girls and non-binary youth,” says Tribe. “Society needs engineers from diverse backgrounds to address the world's challenges.” 

“The support of the ONWiE Community is essential for continuing and expanding its amazing events and initiatives, helping engineering become truly diverse and inclusive.”

Tribe is a passionate educator known for bringing refreshing ideas to the classroom and her commitment to uplifting diverse voices. She has always placed a strong emphasis on student engagement and mentorship and has received multiple awards for teaching excellence, including the Edward G. Pleva Award and the R. Mohan Mathur Award.

Tribe’s appointment as Chair of ONWiE marks a significant milestone in her ongoing efforts to foster a more diverse and inclusive engineering community—at Western and across the province.