M. Elizabeth Cannon, FRSC, (born in Charlottetown, PEI) is a Canadian Geomatics Engineer and current President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calgary.
Cannon graduated from Acadia University with a B.Sc. in Mathematics and Computer Science in 1982, followed by a B.Sc in Geomatics Engineering from the University of Calgary in 1984, and finally a PhD in Geomatics Engineering in 1991.[1] She is married to Gérard Lachapelle, and currently lives in Calgary, Alberta with two children, Sara Lachapelle and René Lachapelle.[2]
After teaching at the University of Calgary from 1991 to 2006, and becoming the head of the Geomatics Engineering Department, Cannon became the dean of the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary. In 2005, she was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Canada Foundation for Innovation.[3]
In 2004, she was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.[4] And in 2000, she was elected to Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering.[5][6]
She was the founder of Cybermentor, an online mentoring program for girls in science and engineering. She was also one of the founders of ExploreIT, a program to encourage girls to explore careers in computer-related professions.
On July. 1st, 2010, Cannon became the president of the University of Calgary, the first female to do so.[7]