In 1974, Chandra Madramootoo arrived at Macdonald Campus to pursue his BSc in Agricultural Engineering. He never left.
“I loved the program. I loved the professors. I loved my courses,” said Madramootoo. “It was giving me exactly what I wanted in life. I was fulfilling a dream.”
After also earning his MSc (1981) and his PhD (1985) at Mac, he accepted an 11th hour offer from McGill for an assistant professorship, declining opportunities at other universities.
Over the ensuing decades, Madramootoo has left an indelible mark on the University as professor, researcher, advisor and Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences from 2005 to 2015.
At Fall 2024 Convocation on Dec. 2 – 50 years after he joined the University as an undergrad – he will receive the Morty Yalovsky Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Academic Leadership.
Shared vision
As Dean, Madramootoo led a decade of growth and academic renewal.
Following a rigorous two-year consultation process involving internal and external stakeholders, Madramootoo and his colleagues revamped recruiting processes, increased support for first-year students, overhauled existing programs, added new ones and established numerous endowed scholarships for both undergraduate and graduate students.
The ensuing years saw a 50-per-cent increase in enrolment at the Faculty, a source of pride for Madramootoo, but an accomplishment for which he declines to take full credit.
“You can’t be Dean on your own. It’s not a one-man show,” he said with a smile. “I had tremendous mentors and colleagues whom I admire greatly. We shared a common vision, and we worked tirelessly to achieve it. Every penny that was spent, every minute of work – it all paid off enormously.”
International leadership
Prior to becoming Dean, Madramootoo collaborated with the Deans of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (Deborah Buszard) and Engineering (John Dealy) to create the Brace Centre for Water Resources Management, which opened in 1999. As the founding director, he guided the centre to great success, securing multi-million-dollar grants, including a Canada Foundation for Innovation grant aimed at enhancing research infrastructure across both campuses.
“The Brace Centre became an internationally recognized hub for large scale, national and international water, environmental and climate change projects and positioned McGill as an international leader in water resources research and teaching,” said Buszard, Principal Emerita, University of British Columbia.
“Chandra’s ability to see the big picture and to build support to execute large-scale practical projects was the key to the success of the Centre. In many ways the Brace Centre and Chandra Madramootoo have made real the original vision of Sir William Macdonald: that the Macdonald Campus would contribute through its practical research and teaching to improving lives.”
Homegrown help
The source of Madramootoo’s lifelong passion for water management can be traced back to his early years in Guyana. There, he saw the destruction wrought by floods caused by hurricanes, storm surges and rising sea levels.
“People are affected in devastating ways. They lose their homes, their businesses and their lives,” he said. “Guyana has a series of canals, drains, sluices and pump stations. To survive, you have to learn how to manage water.”
Earlier this summer, Madramootoo received $1.5 million from the New Frontiers in Research Fund to create a flood resilience framework in Caribbean countries that will include a co-developed risk hazard prediction and response model, as well as improved policies and an institutional framework for flood risk planning and management.
In Guyana, Madramootoo’s team is looking at nature-based solutions, including bolstering mangrove forests along the coastline, to help to reduce flooding.
He is also working with local communities to arm them with data, including numerical models and satellite images, so they can prepare for floods based on accurate forecasting.
“We’re doing some very interesting work with the University of Guyana because the goal is also to build capacity in the local universities,” said Madramootoo. “One of the things we’re doing is having McGill students work with their peers from the University of Guyana students to do risk mapping.”
‘I believe in McGill
Now at an age when many people have retired, Madramootoo shows no sign of wanting to take it easy. His contributions are far from over. He’s still teaching, conducting research and working with graduate students and postdocs.
When asked why he has dedicated so much of his time and effort to Macdonald Campus and McGill, Madramootoo smiled.
“I studied there. I worked there. I feel like I had an obligation to give something back to the institution that gave me my entire life,” he said.
“I love McGill dearly. I will stand up for McGill to the very end, because I believe in McGill. I believe in McGill’s quality. I believe in McGill’s potential. I believe that McGill is a richly rewarding place where people can flourish.”