Trevor Pearce completed a B.Eng. in Electrical Engineering at Carleton University in 1982 (with High Distinction). After working with local high tech firms developing embedded systems and operating systems, he returned to Carleton in 1984 as an Instructor with the Department of Systems and Computer Engineering. In 1986, he completed a M.Eng. (now called M.A.Sc.) in Electrical Engineering at Carleton University, and was promoted to Lecturer. Following an Academic Leave from Carleton, he completed a Ph.D. in 1994, at Queen's University with the Department of Computing and Information Science.

Dr. Pearce has made several contributions to the undergraduate programs, including: introducing a Co-Op option for Computer Systems Engineering (with Chair S. Mahmoud), teaching large sections of lower year courses, developing curriculum and labs in several courses, and serving a two-year term as the Department’s Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies (1996 – 1998).

Dr. Pearce is researching real-time systems, and how the use of modelling and simulation can be increased in engineering development methods. His long-term goals include a real-time systems architecture based on a discrete-event simulation framework.