News

Dr. Adel Sedra, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and former Dean of Engineering at the University of Waterloo, has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Canada’s Semiconductor Council. The prestigious honour was presented at the Council’s Annual Awards Dinner in Ottawa last week.

Congratulations to Zhenan Liu, a MASc student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo, whose ground-breaking research has earned international recognition. Liu’s paper, “Real-Time 4D Radar Perception for Robust Human Detection in Harsh Enclosed Environments,” has received Honorable Mention in the prestigious 2025 IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society (AP-S) Student Paper Competition.

Dr. Xuemin (Sherman) Shen, University Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo, has been named one of the world’s leading scientists in electronics and electrical engineering. In the 2024 edition of its annual global ranking, Research.com places Dr. Shen at #18 worldwide and #1 in Canada—a reflection of his extraordinary impact in the field.

In an exciting achievement for the research community, the paper titled "Radar Near-Field Sensing Using Metasurface for Biomedical Applications" has been recognized as one of the Top 25 most downloaded papers in Nature Communications Engineering for 2024.

Electrical and computer engineering professor, Dr. Ladan Tahvildari has been named an IBM Champion for 2025. This prestigious recognition is awarded in acknowledgment of her exceptional leadership and significant contributions to the IBM technology community over the past year.

Dr. Tejinder Singh, an electrical and computer engineering alum from the University of Waterloo, has been awarded the prestigious title of Distinguished Engineer at Dell Technologies. This recognition highlights his ground-breaking contributions to the company’s AI roadmap and his transformative work within the tech industry. The Distinguished Engineer title, one of Dell’s highest honors, is typically reserved for individuals with over 12-15 years of experience at the company and an advanced degree. Dr. Singh’s rapid rise to this prestigious elected position, after joining Dell only three years ago, speaks volumes about his extraordinary talent and technical leadership.

Mohammad Abuyaghi, a PhD student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at the University of Waterloo, has been selected as a recipient of the prestigious Sandford Fleming Foundation (SFF) Teaching Assistantship Excellence Award. This award, presented annually in each academic department, recognizes individuals who demonstrate exceptional dedication to their students and go beyond in their teaching responsibilities. Abuyaghi’s selection for this award highlights his ability to inspire and engage students, as well as his unwavering support for their academic success.

Gurshaant Singh Malik, an electrical and computer engineering (ECE) PhD student at the University of Waterloo, has been honoured with the prestigious Best-Paper Award at the 2024 International Conference on Field-Programmable Technology (FPT) held in Sydney, Australia.

Thirteen University of Waterloo researchers have received $16.2 million in funding for 16 projects aimed at advancing quantum science and technology. This funding is part of the Government of Canada’s National Quantum Strategy (NQS), which seeks to strengthen Canada's leadership in quantum research and accelerate the development of quantum technologies.

The announcement was made by Sherry Romanado, on behalf of the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, and Professor Alejandro Adem, President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), at the INRS Énergie Matériaux Télécommunications Research Centre in Varennes, Québec.

Four professors from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) are among the recipients of these grants.

After a record-breaking number of registrations for the 2025 GRADflix competition, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs announced the finalists whose videos will be featured at the upcoming GRADflix Showcase. The competition, which invites graduate students from across campus to create 60-second videos showcasing their research, highlights students’ ability to combine creativity and scientific communication while gaining visibility for their work and expanding their professional networks.