Research Awards

Dr. Mirza Faisal Beg

Professor, Engineering Science
APEG BC Meritorious Achievement Award Winner
NSERC Discovery Accelerator Supplement
Dr. Beg received numerous research awards, including the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC (APEG BC) 2012 Meritorious Achievement Award. Dr. Beg is trained in engineering, biology and mathematics. Drawing from international MRI databases containing the brain scans of hundreds of older adults with and without Alzheimer’s, he is taking precise measurements to pinpoint where and how brain structures change at the onset. His research will help take the guesswork out of diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease, especially in its early stages and assess whether new Alzheimer’s drugs are effective in slowing progression of the disease.

Dr. Ryan D'Arcy

Professor, Schools of Computing Science and Engineering Science
Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation BC Leadership Chair in Multimodal Technology for Healthcare Innovation
Dr. D'Arcy explores new frontiers in neurotechnology to further understand the brain and help patients with devastating brain illness and traumatic brain injuries. He is leading the development of a diverse and prosperous medical technology sector in the province. This is one of five SFU research chairs supported by the Government of British Columbia through the Leading Edge Endowment Fund (LEEF). LEEF contributed $2.5 million toward this Chair, and SFU and Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation each contributed $1.5 million. The Fraser Health Authority is also a strategic partner that provides lab space for the Dr. D'Arcy, as well as access to clinical facilities and resources at Surrey Memorial Hospital and other healthcare facilities.

Dr. Bozena Kaminska

Professor, School of Engineering Science
Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Wireless Sensor Networks
Area of research: Communication, Computation and Technology and Health and Biomedical Sciences
Dr. Kaminska invents tiny yet powerful nanotechnologies, integrated systems and powering solutions. A groundbreaker in every sense of the word, Dr. Kaminska developed wearable wireless biosensors for heart monitoring, and a new generation of devices that can be used for secure document storage and for monitoring energy, objects and people. Her third-generation of functional polymers with specialized optics is attracting the attention of banks and security printing companies for counterfeit security applications. In addition to being an engineer, Dr. Kaminska is also a seasoned businesswoman and entrepreneur.

Dr. Jie Liang

Professor, Engineering Science
NSERC Discovery Accelerator Supplement
Humboldt Research Fellowship, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany
Excellence in Leadership for Graduate Studies
Dr. Liang has been recognized for his research with a Humboldt Research Fellowship. He was also awarded an NSERC Discovery Accelerator Supplement to develop signal processing algorithms to enhance the quality of photos and videos uploaded to social media. Compression reduces page loading time and bandwidth, but it also produces image pixilation and colour changes — issues Liang is trying to address. Dr. Liang won an award for Excellence in Leadership from SFU's Dean of Graduate Studies for his major contributions as Graduate Program Chair in engineering science (2012-2014). He was credited with leading a restructuring of the funding policy for graduate students, enhancing student life and introducing the graduate student co-op program.

Dr. Carlo Menon

Associate Professor, Engineering Science
New Investigator Award recipient, Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Career Investigator Award recipient, Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research
Dr. Menon has been awarded two major grants for his work developing a robotic device that could allow people suffering from neuromuscular disorders to regain control of their upper extremities. Dr. Menon won both the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Career Investigator Award and the Canadian Institute of Health Research New Investigator Award for his biomedical robotics research. Both awards will allow him to work on an Interactive Wearable Robotic Device (IWRD) designed to improve quality of life for those who have lost neurological control of their arms and hands, due to stroke, injury, aging or disease.

Dr. Ash Parameswaran

Professor, Engineering Science
Fellow, Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE)
APEG BC Meritorious Achievement Award Winner
NSERC Discovery Accelerator Supplement
Dr. Parameswaran has a long history of achievements in biomedical engineering, as well as outstanding technical and community service. Dr. Parameswaran has been refining his "lab-on-a-chip” technology--a low-cost, portable device that will allow for speedy point-of-care diagnosis of pathogens that cause infantile diarrhea, a leading cause of death for young children in developing nations. He was named a fellow with CAE and won the Meritorious Achievement Award from the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC (APEG BC) in 2013. He also won the APEG BC Teaching Excellence Award in 2007 and has held the J.L. Wighton Professor of Experimental and Laboratory Studies since 2004.

Dr. Stephen Robinovitch

Professor, School of Engineering Science and Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology
Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Injury Prevention and Mobility Biomechanics
Area of research: Biomedical Engineering, Injury Biomechanics
Dr. Robinovitch uses the tools of biomechanics to study disability and injury. He leads university-community partnerships in developing new technologies to prevent falls and fall-related injuries, particularly in older adults. Falls can be devastating in this population, causing more than 90 per cent of hip and wrist fractures, and 60 per cent of head injuries. Dr. Robinovitch investigates new approaches (such as video capture and wearable sensors) to determine the causes and circumstances of falls, and to develop and test the effectiveness of engineering interventions such as protective clothing and compliant flooring in reducing fall-related injuries.

Dr. Lesley Shannon

Associate Professor
NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering
Dr. Shannon holds the NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering, BC/Yukon Region (2015-2020). The goal of the chairs, which now total five across the country, is to provide female role models who are accomplished, successful and recognized researchers in science and engineering. Each chair receives $475,000 in NSERC funding over five years with matching funds from the universities and industry. In partnership with Vancouver-based software company Simba Technologies Inc., SFU was able to establish the chair to promote the growth of females in science and engineering.

Dr. Rodney Vaughan

Professor, School of Engineering Science
Sierra Wireless Professorship in Mobile Communications
Area of research: Signal Processing Theory, Antenna Theory and Design, Wave Propagation Measurement and Modeling
As SFU’s Sierra Wireless Professorship in Mobile Communications, Dr. Vaughan is engaging organizations and industry across North America in some of the world’s most progressive communications research. His projects include developing antenna concepts for satellite communications, new on-chip antennas, industrial “green energy” microwave food drying and spatial signal processing for acoustic noise reduction. Dr. Vaughan leads research in radiowave propagation, communications signal processing, and antenna design and evaluation methods. The results are being used by industry for new and improved products.