David Clausi

David Clausi is a Professor in Systems Design Engineering and the Associate Dean of Research & External Partnerships (ADR) for Engineering. He is a renowned computer vision expert who has made exceptional research, entrepreneurship, and leadership contributions in multiple fields including biomechanics, biomedical, remote sensing, and sports analytics. A highly accomplished researcher, inventor and scholar, he has designed algorithms to interpret satellite imagery, detect skin cancer, model embryonic development, and automate ice hockey analytics. As ADR, he has strategically grown Waterloo Engineering and taken leadership to raise the University’s research profile.

Duane Cronin

Duane Cronin is a Professor in Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, a Canada Research Chair in Trauma Biomechanics and Injury Prevention, and an internationally recognized expert in trauma biomechanics, human body modelling (HBM), and material characterization. He established a new Canadian research program to link materials, impact, and trauma biomechanics research, significantly advancing the fields of crash safety and protection of humans in extreme environments. Professor Cronin and his team have developed leading computational HBMs used globally by industry, government and academics to improve human safety. Professor Cronin’s high level of scholarship and dramatic impact on the academic community and industry demonstrates his global presence and the impact of innovative research to save lives.

Karim Karim

Karim Sallaudin Karim is a Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Associate Vice-President, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship, and a Founder and the Chief Technology Officer of KA Imaging. Professor Karim both pioneered innovative X-ray technologies and then led the commercialization effort via KA Imaging. His research has led to the world’s first portable, dual energy X-ray detector, with superior accuracy that enables early disease detection of cardiopulmonary and musculoskeletal disorders. The technology is now used in hospitals in seven countries to replace black and white X-rays. Professor Karim has 250 academic publications and 80 international patents.

Jonathan Jun Li

Jonathan Li is a Professor in Geography and Environmental Management and a world-class researcher in geomatics and remote sensing. His pioneering contributions in AI-based earth-observation image understanding have substantially impacted the development of high-definition mapping technology in Canada and beyond. His innovations include the generalized point-cloud descriptors and the intelligent point-cloud to 3D model convertors, which have significantly advanced the field of 3D vision. He has published 320+ journal papers and trained 120+ graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. He received the Samuel Gamble Award and the Geomatica Award. He is the President-elect of the Canadian Institute of Geomatics and a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada.

Ming Li

Ming Li is a University Professor in the Cheriton School of Computer Science. He is recognized for his contributions in building large-scale bioinformatics systems that have enabled modern proteomics projects worldwide, his contributions in designing an antibody sequencing pipeline that has helped to enable a modern antibody sequencing industry, his contributions to significantly improving de novo sequencing accuracy which is key to enable personalized cancer immunotherapy, and his contributions to a modern information theory Kolmogorov complexity via his book “An introduction to Kolmogorov complexity and its applications” that is read and cited widely and has impacted people’s conception of modern information as well as applications of the such understanding to engineering, technology, and science.

Maria Anna Polak

Maria Anna Polak is a Professor and University Research Chair in Civil and Environmental Engineering. She is renowned in the field of structural engineering, with pioneering contributions to the design and testing of concrete and reinforced concrete structures. Her innovations include new technologies for the retrofit of concrete slabs, powerful analysis tools for evaluation and testing of design standards, global structural damage assessment methods, and fibre-reinforced polymers. Implemented worldwide, Professor Polak’s work has directly contributed to international standards for infrastructure design. She sits on numerous international standards committees, is a Fellow of the American Concrete Institute and the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering and is recipient of prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Fellowships.

Zhongchao Tan

Chao Tan is a Professor in Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering and an international authority on filtration and separation technologies. His scholarly publications have reached $1.7 million downloads globally; his award-winning research and innovation significantly strengthened Canada’s global leadership in sustainability, including a major patent licensed by Enersul Inc. As a visionary leader, Professor Tan spearheaded multiple platforms, creating a positive and inclusive environment for knowledge mobilization, talent exchange, and training of the next generation of young engineers with a global vision. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering and received numerous other scholarship-based awards; his innovative teaching method and textbooks also won him multiple teaching awards.