Quicks facts about Julie Payette: engineer, astronaut, and former governor general
by The Canadian Press
Last Updated Jan 21, 2021 at 5:14 pm EDT
OTTAWA Here are quick facts about Julie Payette, who resigned as governor general on Thursday:
Age: 57
Hometown: Montreal
Education: Attended primary and secondary school in Montreal and earned an international baccalaureate from the United World College of the Atlantic in Wales. Studied electrical engineering at McGill University before obtaining a master’s degree in computer engineering from the University of Toronto. Has 24 honorary degrees.
Early career: Conducted research in computer systems and speech-recognition software as an engineer with various organizations, including IBM and the University of Toronto, before being chosen by the Canadian Space Agency to become an astronaut in 1992. Payette was one of four people chosen out of more than 5,300 applicants.