Prof. Gerarda Darlington, Department of Mathematics and Statistics and former associate dean (academic) in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences (CEPS) at the University of Guelph, has been named as the college’s interim dean effective July 1. The announcement was made today by Charlotte Yates, provost and vice-president (academic).

“Professor Darlington is an experienced and award-winning professor, administrator and researcher,” Yates said. “Her knowledge and experience will be important assets as the college enters a transition in leadership, especially during the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.”

Prof. Mary Wells, who was appointed as CEPS dean in 2017, will become dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Waterloo July 1.

A search for a new college dean is expected to begin in the fall; information will be posted on the provost’s website. In making the announcement, Yates thanked Wells for her service and leadership.

As associate dean (academic), Darlington played an integral role in creating the University of Guelph Library Science Commons and the Physical Sciences and Engineering Education Research Centre. She has also served as her department’s graduate officer, as a member of tenure and promotion committees, and as interim department chair.

She has received the UGFA Distinguished Professor Award, a MITACS Award for Excellence in Mentorship, a YMCA-YWCA Woman of Distinction award for her accomplishments and mentoring in STEM, and U of G’s John Bell Award for outstanding contributions to education.

Darlington studied statistics for her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at U of G and completed a PhD at the University of Waterloo. She worked for 10 years as a senior biostatistician at Cancer Care Ontario in Toronto before joining U of G in 2000. She studies statistical methods for the design and analysis of studies involving time-to-event and clustered outcomes.