Arrow Chief Engineer Robert Prybysh Earns PhD

Robert Prybysh, Arrow’s Chief Engineer, has successfully completed his PhD at the University of Alberta. The title of his degree is Doctor of Philosophy, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Construction Engineering and Management.

Robert completed his PhD in the space of six years and one month on a part-time basis. He is grateful for the support and understanding of his family through the night courses, long periods of study, and preparing his thesis. He is also pleased to have received support in the form of time off from Arrow Engineering in order to complete his teaching and study requirements, and the moral support of his Arrow colleagues.

Why a PhD?

In addition to a belief in lifelong learning, Robert wanted to volunteer with the National Research Council. However, the academic requirements to do so were usually a minimum of a doctorate degree. He also noted that other engineering firms generally had chief engineers who had doctorates and wanted to ensure that Arrow had a Chief Engineer with the same credentials.

What was your thesis about?

His thesis title was “Performance and Cost Analysis of Utilizing Potable Water as a Hydronic Medium in Multi-unit Residential Buildings”. Robert was interested in this topic because while the possibility of using potable water to heat or cool buildings was a hot one in the 1970’s, once the energy crisis ended interest in these systems weakened. Robert looked at the main factors that could impede widespread adoption of these systems, including the taste of the water and the efficiency of these systems.

What were your key learning takeaways?

In addition to the practical lessons learned while studying and writing his thesis, Robert took courses with Alberta Health Services which included a segment about the ethics of health research, which was fascinating to him. Additionally, he learned how to question studies properly by digging into the data and background research.

Robert is a big believer in lifelong learning and does not plan to stop with this latest milestone. Law school is next, not to become a lawyer, but to better understand the legal aspects of codes and the safety act. He will also continue supporting professors at the University of Alberta with their research.

Robert Prybysh (Chief Engineer) and Aaron McAdie (Design Technologist, Civil).