Effective January 2026, Professor Qiao Sun will officially assume the role of Dean of Faculty of Innovation Engineering at Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST). Professor Sun possesses profound academic expertise, forward-looking strategic vision, and inspirational educational leadership. Moving forward, she will continue to play a pivotal guiding role in disciplinary development, scientific research and innovation, talent cultivation, and promoting diversity and inclusion within the engineering field.

Professor Sun, Ph.D., Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (FCAE), Registered Professional Engineer (P.Eng.). In July 2025, she joined the Faculty of Innovation Engineering at Macau University of Science and Technology as Vice Dean, Professor, and Doctoral Supervisor.

She earned her Bachelor's degree from the Department of Power Mechanical Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 1982, a Master's degree from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 1986, and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Victoria, Canada, in 1996. She previously conducted research at the Robotics Research Institute of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and served as a Visiting Scholar at the National Institute for Nanotechnology in Canada. In 2023, she completed the "U.S. Executive Leadership in Academic Technology, Engineering and Science (ELATES)” leadership development program. 

Her academic career includes positions at the University of Calgary as Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, and Department Head in the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, as well as roles within the Schulich School of Engineering as Associate Dean (overseeing areas including Diversity and Equity, Teaching and Learning, Research and International) and Senior Associate Dean.

In academia and educational leadership, Professor Sun has long been dedicated to pioneering research in dynamic system modeling and control, flexible robotics, mechanical fault diagnosis, and active vibration isolation, emphasizing the close integration of theoretical innovation and engineering applications. Early in her career, she contributed to the development of China's first generation of industrial robots, laying a foundation for the nation's robotics technology. Her research achievements have gained widespread recognition in the academic community. Several of her educational innovation and diversity initiatives have received university-level, provincial/ministerial, and international awards, including the University of Calgary Teaching Award (Curriculum Development), the International Network for Learning Resources Excellence in Innovative Programming Award, and being a finalist for the Airbus Diversity Award. Personally, she has received the Schulich School of Engineering Mentoring Excellence Award, Research Achievement Award, and Award for Outstanding Teaching Performance, along with multiple departmental "Professor of the Year" and Teaching Excellence awards. She was elected as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering in 2021. In 2022, she received the "Women in Engineering and Geoscience Champion Award" from the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) and was featured in the publication "STEAM-Powered Careers: Canadians at Work."

As Department Head of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Calgary, Professor Sun demonstrated exceptional leadership in advancing the discipline. She prioritized the development of interdisciplinary research platforms, refined the system for cultivating innovative engineering talent, and promoted the deep integration of mechanical engineering with artificial intelligence and materials science. She actively fostered a diverse, inclusive, and equitable academic culture, significantly broadening access to engineering education through initiatives like founding the "Bioengineering Summer School." Furthermore, she deepened international exchange and collaboration, having been invited to deliver keynote speeches at academic forums such as the "Qunxian Lecture Series" at Xiamen University. She built collaborative networks with globally renowned universities and research institutions, striving to enhance her team's academic influence and leadership in the international field of mechanical engineering.

Faculty of Innovation Engineering was reorganized based on “Faculty of Information Technology”, one of the first four faculties established in the newly founded MUST in 2000. In order to strengthen the engineering disciplines and stipulating more coherent academic planning and development of areas of excellence, the university declared the establishment of Faculty of Innovation Engineering(FIE) on March, 2022. As an interdisciplinary faculty, the Faculty of Innovation Engineering brings together a team of professional teachers from different fields to provide students with comprehensive engineering learning and practice. The faculty has established the School of Computer Science and Engineering, the Department of Engineering Science, the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, and the Department of Space Science and Technology, covering multiple fields such as electronic engineering, computer science, materials engineering, environmental science, space technology, etc., to meet the learning needs and career development goals of different students. By providing high-quality educational resources and cultivating interdisciplinary capabilities, the Faculty of Innovation Engineering lays a solid foundation for students' academic development and career success.