In Memoriam: David Gillen

The Laurier Economics Department is saddened to learn of the passing of David Gillen.

David was a valued colleague at Laurier for 23 years, arriving in 1982 and eventually moving to UBC in 2005. David was internationally renowned as a researcher in transportation economics with over 300 publications and over 8,500 citations during his career. Beyond his academic publications, he was heavily sought after as an industry consultant and as an expert witness. He organized and participated in many conferences and workshops and was a founding member of the Hamburg Aviation Conference which uniquely created a forum for industry stakeholders, government policymakers and academic researchers to collaborate and seek practical solutions to complex economic problems.

David was hard-working and disciplined in his research and teaching, values he strived to impart to students and junior faculty alike. Former students may remember David’s transportation economics course (EC301) that he taught at Laurier for many years, using it to provide students with hands-on experience in data collection and econometric analysis in contexts that had practical value beyond pure research.

Laurier Professor Bill Morrison said, “David was an exceptional economist and an exceptional person. In economic analysis he was creative, rigorous and incisive. In personal interactions, he was kind, supportive and genuine. His large global network of friends, students, former students and colleagues was built on these qualities. I, and a great many others will miss him.”

Although gone, David’s legacy lives on in all the memories and teachings he created and nurtured during a life that was truly well lived.