Two McMaster profs inducted into the Canadian Academy of Engineering
Two McMaster Engineering professors have been elected by their peers to join a distinguished engineering academy that offers key advice on matters of critical importance to Canada.
Natalia Nikolova, an Electrical & Computer Engineering Professor, and Gu Xu, a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, were both inducted as Fellows into the Canadian Academy of Engineering during the organization’s annual meeting and symposium held in Hamilton on June 4, 2015. The academy is a national institution through which Canada’s most distinguished and experienced engineers provide strategic advice on matters of critical importance to Canada.
“McMaster Engineering is delighted that Natalia Nikolova and Gu Xu have been recognized as Fellows of The Canadian Academy of Engineering for their outstanding contributions to their fields,” says Ishwar K. Puri, McMaster’s Dean of Engineering.“It gives me great pride to point out that they will continue to make significant contributions to science and engineering and play a crucial role on matters of critical importance to the future well being of Canada and the world.”
Nikolova has made outstanding contributions to the global advancement of the theory and applications of microwave engineering. Most notably, her pioneering work on response sensitivity analysis enabled drastic acceleration of the design optimization of high-frequency structures in the framework of electromagnetic simulation software. Her innovations in microwave imaging and detection enabled applications in medical diagnostics and security systems.
“I am deeply honored and humbled to stand among the most distinguished Canadian engineers,” says Nikolova. “But I am proud to do so as a member of McMaster’s engineering community. It is this community that mentored me into rising in the profession and taught me the highest standards of commitment and responsibility.”
Xu was recognized for his innovative solutions, bridging fundamental science and creative engineering, to many critical and long-standing problems, including the revelation of organic memory mechanism, and the elucidation of degradation in organic light emitting devices that enabled their commercialization. In addition, hydrogen storage saturation was uncovered to clarify the controversy, and lateral structure of multiwall nanotubes was resolved by his novel X-ray imaging methods. The discoveries were mostly published by leading science and engineering journals, which were cited extensively.
“A broad coverage of fundamental science is the key to the engineering innovation as well as practical problem solving,” says Xu.
Also inducted as Fellows were Thomas Robert Beamish, founder director of The Woodbridge Group, and Robert Magee, chairman of The Woodbridge Group, both of whom have made contributions to McMaster University.
Fifty Fellows and a new Honorary Fellow were inducted on June 4. The CAE is an independent, self-governing and non-profit organization established in 1987.
