John McPhee, a systems design engineering professor, is the recipient of this year’s Engineering Medal - Engineering Excellence from Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO).
McPhee, Canada Research Chair in System Dynamics and a Waterloo Engineering alumnus, has focused his career on studying things that move—researching the modelling, control, simulation and design of dynamic physical systems.
The impact of McPhee’s research has been influential. He pioneered the use of linear graph theory and symbolic computing to model dynamic systems, providing a powerful systems-level design methodology that allows engineers to model and simulate the impact of individual components on overall performance of multi-domain systems (such as hybrid electric vehicles) within a single design package.
John McPhee, PhD, P.Eng., FEIC, FCAE, FASME, FCSME
Professor, University of Waterloo; Canada Research Chair in System Dynamics
His research algorithms have been commercialized by Canadian engineering software firm Maplesoft and are a core component of its MapleSim modelling software used by companies around the world, including major automotive companies such as Toyota and Ford, as well as NASA JPL, MOOG and Canon, to name a few [Read more].