A Waterloo Engineering professor has been recognized with a provincial engineering medal for research and development.
Dr. David Clausi, a University Research Chair and professor in the Department of Systems Design Engineering, has been awarded the Ontario Professional Engineers Award (OPEA) Engineering Medal in Research and Development.
“I’m deeply honoured to receive this recognition from Professional Engineers Ontario,” said Clausi. “This work reflects a commitment to advancing methods that help us better understand our changing planet, made possible by outstanding students, collaborators, and partners. Mentoring emerging researchers and seeing their impact beyond the lab has been especially rewarding.”
Clausi is co-director of the Vision and Image Processing Research Group (VIP) and a researcher whose impact spans satellite image analysis, automated skin cancer detection, whale detection, as well as sports statistical and video analytics. His innovations have benefited the Canadian Space Agency, Environment Canada and Fisheries & Oceans Canada, as well as companies across the aerospace, biomedical, remote sensing and sports sectors.
A dedicated mentor, Clausi has supervised over 75 graduate students, several of whom have launched successful startups or made significant contributions in the computer vision field. He is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, the Engineering Institute of Canada, and the Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association and was most recently elevated to an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) fellow in early 2026.
Clausi will receive the medal at the OPEA gala on November 13, 2026, in Vaughan, Ontario.
Dr. David Clausi