LillAnne Jackson on 15 Years of Opening Doors in Engineering

June 23, 2026

When LillAnne Jackson took on the role of Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs in the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science in 2009, the job came with a weekly pile of folders and papers to sign. As she departs the role, fifteen years and three terms later, those folders have been replaced by screens and sophisticated tracking systems, but what hasn't changed is what she believed back then and still believes now: that a great engineer or computer scientist can come from anywhere.

From "the woman" to "a colleague"

LillAnne came to UVic Engineering and Computer Science by a circuitous route. After beginning an electrical engineering degree but completing a mathematics degree, she spent a decade teaching circuits and digital logic at a college in Alberta where she was, for a long time, the only woman in the faculty. Then, as she planned to return to study and complete that engineering degree, the 1989 Polytechnique massacre took place in Montreal, and something shifted. She moved into computer science, completed two graduate degrees, earned her PhD at the University of Calgary, and arrived at UVic in 2005.

What she found here surprised her. The computer science department at UVic was already roughly one third women. "I stopped being 'the woman' in the department and started being 'a colleague,'" she says. "That was an amazing change of perspective in my career. I didn't have to be the only voice of women in various committees and meetings." That one third critical mass, she's since come to believe, is part of what makes change possible.

That experience has informed her work on equity ever since. From chairing the EDI committee, helping establish the assistant dean of community and culture role, driving ECS's engagement with the 30 by 30 initiative (which aims to reach 30% women in engineering by 2030) to advocating for flexible scheduling, transfer pathways, and the new ECS LaunchPad program, she understands student success not only in academic terms, but in terms of equity.

Making the door wider

One of LillAnne's quiet but most significant achievements has been building out BC's transfer pathway network. She has spent years working with around ten institutions across the province to establish common first-year engineering curricula so that students can begin closer to home and transfer into second year at UVic, UBC, and other universities. "I've been a passionate advocate for this," she says. "I really believe in making an engineering education as accessible as possible for local students."

That same impulse drove changes to how programs are scheduled. When she arrived, most engineering courses were offered once a year, leaving students with almost no flexibility if life got in the way. Under her watch, courses expanded across multiple terms, opening the door to eight-month co-op terms and giving students options when they needed them. The LaunchPad program, which supports students whose admission profiles don't fit the standard mould but whose potential is clear, reflects the same understanding that diversity of background is a strength, not a risk.

"What sets UVic Engineering and Computer Science apart," she says, "is that we believe people can be good engineers and computer scientists coming from a broad range of backgrounds, and that they can all become incredible professionals. And we work to support that across everything we do, from curriculum, advising, and co-op, to faculty culture."

First year, and the long game

Ask LillAnne what she's most proud of and she comes back again to first year. When she arrived, the first-year experience hadn't yet caught up to what students actually needed. Her team built out three-term schedules, clearer pathways, and a culture of meeting students where they are. "Students come to us not as mature learners but as young adults still finding their footing," she says. "How do we grow these people into mature, confident professionals? Every student gets there at a different rate."

During her tenure, the undergraduate population more than doubled. Managing that growth, including figuring out where to put students, how to serve them, and how to make sure no one fell through the cracks, has taken up, by her own account, a considerable amount of her brain.

What's next for ECS

LillAnne is characteristically clear-eyed about where the faculty is headed. The next associate dean will inherit a curriculum landscape being reshaped by AI, but this is a shift she thinks ECS is well-positioned to navigate. "The driving of this technology comes from computer science and engineering disciplines," she says. "We know these fields. We have a faculty full of experts." The work of preparing students for careers that don't fully exist yet, she thinks, will require even closer collaboration between academics and co-op, which is something she's spent years building the foundation for.

What's next for LillAnne

A year of leave, in which she plans at least one hundred days of hiking and one hundred days of skiing. And, if her husband has his way, a bike trip somewhere in between.

The Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science thanks LillAnne for fifteen years of leadership, advocacy, and care for our students. Her belief that talent comes from everywhere, and her tireless work to make education accessible for all, has shaped this faculty in ways that will outlast any single role.