Université de Moncton to bestow two emeritus statuses during fall convocation

The Université de Moncton will bestow two emeritus statuses during fall convocation taking place on Friday, October 18, at 1:30 p.m. at the Ceps Louis-J.-Robichaud on the Moncton Campus.

Michel Massiéra will become Professor Emeritus of Engineering, while Thu Pham-Gia will become Professor Emeritus of Statistics.

Michel Massiéra
Professor Emeritus of Engineering
Over his 42-year career at the Université de Moncton, Professor Michel Massiéra taught more than 1,000 students and is considered one of the pioneers of educating Acadian engineers. He has gained the respect his peers for his qualities as an engaged professor, prolific researcher and able administrator.

Mr. Massiéra holds two undergraduate degrees from the Institut national des sciences appliquées (INSA) de Lyon, as well as a master’s degree in civil engineering and a doctorate in civil engineering from the École polytechnique de Montréal. He began his career with the Université de Moncton in 1969. He became a full professor in 1981. Throughout his career, Mr. Massiéra successfully directed more than 20 theses in applied sciences. He retired from full-time teaching in 2011 but continues to offer his expertise and teach specialized courses at the Université de Moncton.

Mr. Massiéra has been a tireless researcher who has received a considerable number of research grants. In the beginning of his career, he developed a research program on the performance of large dams, a project that saw him obtain significant grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) totalling approximately $400,000. Between 1990 and 1993, his international geotechnical experience earned him a research grant worth $243,000 from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). He has also published more than 120 articles in juried publications both nationally and internationally. As well, thanks to his expertise, he was appointed by Hydro-Québec to a committee of experts responsible for reviewing the designs of dams in the Romaine River’s hydroelectric development program.

Throughout his career, Mr. Massiéra also invested generously in his university and professional community. For 10 years, he was the assistant director in the science and engineering faculty’s engineering department (1975-1978 and 1980-1990). From 1995 to 1999, he was also head of the civil engineering department in the Université de Moncton’s engineering school and was a member of approximately 30 committees at the university. He also contributed significantly to his profession.

A Life Fellow of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering and Life Member of the Engineers & Geoscientists New Brunswick, Professor Massiéra has received a number of awards throughout his career, including: the A.G. Stermac Award from The Canadian Geotechnical Society in recognition of his exceptional service to the geotechnical community, 2005; the Citizen’s Award from the New Brunswick Association of Engineers, 1997; and the Gzowski Medal from the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering for the best article in the area of surveying, 1988.

Thu Pham-Gia
Professor Emeritus of Statistics
Professor Thu Pham-Gia had a long 37-year career at the Université de Moncton. During this time, he was known for the excellence and frequency of his research and for his international reputation. He holds a bachelor’s degree in science from Saigon University (1966), a master’s degree from the University of Hawaii (1969) and a doctorate from the University of Toronto (1972).

Professor Pham-Gia began his career as an assistant professor at the Université de Moncton in 1973. He became an associate professor in 1978 and a full professor in 1984. Through the years, he stood out by the quality of his teaching. He has taught nearly all the courses in statistics and probabilities offered by the mathematics and statistics department. In 2011, the department named an award in his honour in recognition of the student having the highest cumulative average during their overall undergraduate studies.

He was known to be a dynamic researcher throughout his long career. He is the author or co-author of approximately 75 juried published articles, some of which earned major awards. He has given numerous presentations and submitted a number of scientific papers to international conferences around the world. He was the first mathematician at the Université de Moncton to receive major grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and continued to receive them throughout his career. He has also served as a referee for several scientific publications at the international level. He also enjoys an international reputation for his projects with groups such as the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Agence francophone pour l'enseignement supérieur et la recherche.

At the Université de Moncton, he held the position of director of the mathematics and statistics department for two consecutive terms (1994-2000). Under his direction, the department achieved several major accomplishments, among them the establishment of the master’s degree in mathematics which welcomed its first students in 2000.

Retired since 2010, he remains active at both the Université de Moncton and in the community. He remains an assistant professor and carries out research. His is also vice-president of the Multicultural Association of Greater Moncton and Area.

Awards and honours he has received include: the Thomas. L. Saaty Award for best statistics and operational research publication in the American Journal of Mathematical and Management Sciences, 1995; the award for 25 years of excellence from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), 2003; and the Vinh Danh Award for his contribution to Vietnam’s reputation and development, 2007. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society.


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