Dr. Yu-Ling Cheng is the Director of the Centre for Global Engineering (CGEN) and Professor of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry at the University of Toronto. CGEN was established in 2009 to be the focal point and major driver in preparing engineering graduates to meet challenges, responsibilities and opportunities in a globally sustainable future. Under her leadership, CGEN is developing new courses and academic programs in global engineering. She also leads new global engineering research initiatives, most notably a project under the “Re-invent the Toilet” challenge posed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Aside from her interests in global engineering, Professor Cheng’s research interests have centered around drug delivery, and the understanding of transport processes in polymeric and physiologic systems. She is a member the Teaching Academy, the highest honour for teaching at the University of Toronto. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Academics Without Borders, an NGO whose mission is to enhance higher education capacity in developing countries.