Gina Cody awarded honorary doctorate from University of Waterloo
Gina Cody (far right) received a Doctor of Engineering from the University of Waterloo this spring. | Photo: Light Imaging, Bruce Ladouceur
Concordia Chancellor Gina Cody, MEng 81, PhD 89, received an honorary doctorate from the University of Waterloo at its spring 2025 convocation.
Cody was recognized for her leadership and exceptional service to society alongside five other honorary degree recipients — among them pioneering Canadian physicist Paul Corkum and John English, renowned historian and international relations expert.
“I am humbled to be in the company of such outstanding individuals, each of whom has made meaningful impact in their field,” says Cody. “On a personal level, I am deeply honoured to be recognized by Waterloo, an outstanding Canadian institution where my daughter Roya earned her PhD and where my husband did his undergraduate studies.”
As the first woman in Canada to earn a PhD in building engineering, Cody spent more than 30 years in the private sector as an engineer, corporate executive and principal shareholder of a national engineering firm. It was recognized as one of Canada’s best managed companies and Cody was named one of Canada’s Top Women Entrepreneurs by Profit Magazine.
The University of Waterloo cited Cody’s continued advocacy for greater inclusion in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and careers. Cody continues this work as chancellor of Concordia, a role she assumed in January 2025.
In 2018, she donated $15 million to her alma mater. In recognition of her generosity and remarkable professional accomplishments, Concordia renamed its faculty of engineering to the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science — the first engineering faculty in Canada named for a woman.
Cody also recently earned two prestigious honours: a King Charles III’s Coronation Medal, awarded to individuals who have made a significant contribution to Canada or abroad, and was appointed Honorary Colonel of the 34 Combat Engineer Regiment (CER) of the Canadian Armed Forces.