Abstract:

Dr. Golnaraghi is the founding Director of the School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering at Simon Fraser University (SFU) and played a leading role in establishing the Mechatronics programs at both the University of Waterloo and SFU. As a member of the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board for Mechatronics, he has contributed to the review of numerous programs across Canada and the Middle East.

In this presentation, Dr. Golnaraghi will trace the evolution of Mechatronics Engineering education in Canada, with particular emphasis on the programs he helped build at Waterloo and SFU. He will also explore how the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence is shaping the next phase of Mechatronics education and preparing the engineers of tomorrow. Finally, he will highlight his current research in BioMechatronics and Automotive applications, demonstrating how interdisciplinary innovation is opening new frontiers for the field.

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Farid Golnaraghi received his BSc. and MSc. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1982. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics at Cornell University in 1988. He became a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Waterloo in 1988 and was awarded the prestigious Canada Research Chair in Mechatronics in 2002. In 2006, he joined Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada, as the Director of the School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering and the Burnaby Mountain endowed Chair. His pioneering research has resulted in three books, more than 500 journal and technical publications, ten patents, and four startup companies, including Shield-X Technology Inc. (Concussion mitigation products) and NIR Imaging Inc. (breast Cancer Diagnostics). As a fellow, he was inducted into the Canadian Academy of Engineering in July 2019. He has made many research contributions to condition monitoring, vibration control, medical devices, and biomedical systems.