Engineering professor honoured four times in one week

JamalDeen

Jamal Deen, professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, poses with his McNaughton Gold Medal and award plaque.


The week of May 6 was a memorable one in the life of Engineering professor Jamal Deen.

That Monday in Regina, Saskatchewan, Deen was presented with the McNaughton Gold Medal — the highest award for engineers in Canada, presented by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The IEEE Canada awards recognize the distinguished and outstanding contributions and achievements of engineers, and to promote excellence and positive role models in society. The short citation noted Deen’s, “pioneering contributions to modelling of semiconductor devices.”

“I am extremely fortunate to have a caring and loving family which helped to create an environment in which I am healthy, happy and comfortable,” said Deen, during his acceptance speech. “With their support, I have enjoyed an exceptional personal life and professional career. To them, I owe all that I have achieved.”

Later that same week, he was presented with the McMaster Engineering Research Award at the Faculty of Engineering Annual “Applause and Accolades” Gala. This award recognizes his world-class status and peer-recognitions as a researcher, as well as his sustained research efforts and leadership in the Faculty of Engineering.

On Friday, May 10, he was honoured as the 2013 Winegard Lecturer at the University of Guelph. Deen’s Winegard lecture (delivered to more than a hundred attendees) was titled, “Biosensors: Playing at the Crossroads of Engineering and the Sciences,” which emphasized the fun he has had doing research over the past three decades.

Finally, to cap off a truly remarkable week, the University of the West Indies presented him with a Vice Chancellor’s Award in recognition of his, “exceptional scholarly work in engineering and science, exemplary professionalism and dedicated volunteerism.”

Deen is a senior Canada research chair in Information Technology; professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering; professor of Biomedical Engineering; and director of McMaster’s Micro- and Nano-Systems Laboratory.