Hoda El-Maraghy
Hoda ElMaraghy is an Egyptian-Canadian pioneer of smart, flexible manufacturing and director of the Intelligent Manufacturing Systems Centre at the University of Windsor. She became Canada’s first woman dean of engineering in 1994, later appointed to the Order of Canada for advancing adaptable, industry-ready production systems.
Hoda El-Maraghy EOTW #3 (14 October 2025)
Across five decades, ElMaraghy helped define how factories adapt—championing flexible, changeable and reconfigurable manufacturing so lines can switch products and volumes with minimal downtime.
Through Windsor’s IMS Centre, she has linked rigorous modeling with real shop-floor pilots, while mentoring new generations of engineers who carry these ideas into industry. Her leadership broke multiple barriers: she was the first woman to serve as dean of engineering at a Canadian university, and the first Canadian woman to earn a PhD in mechanical engineering.
National recognition followed, including appointment to the Order of Canada for advancing responsive manufacturing systems that strengthen competitiveness at home and abroad.