New dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science believes in leading by example
Excellence at all levels. That’s how Amir Asif defines his vision for Concordia’s Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science. He started his five-year term as dean of the Faculty on August 1.
“In my view, our future engineers and computer scientists need to cultivate more interdisciplinary skills, such as entrepreneurial spirit, leadership, social consciousness and global business acumen to complement their strong technical knowledge.”
As chair of the Department of Computer Science at York University since 2007, Asif was the driving force behind the establishment of a new program in electrical engineering. The renamed Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science became the cornerstone of the current Lassonde School of Engineering.
In his new role at Concordia, Asif hopes to modernize approaches to teaching and learning; help develop new programs in next-generation specializations in engineering; and explore more collaboration with business, law, communication, design and environmental science.
“Concordia is ready to make changes that go beyond conventional paradigms,” he insists. “Biology, for example, needs to be recognized as a fundamental engineering science, perhaps as important as physics and chemistry, with potential to open new frontiers for innovation.”
Apart from maintaining the day-to-day teaching and research activities within the faculty, Asif’s first major goal at Concordia is to develop a strategic plan for the Faculty that will differentiate it from engineering schools across the country.
“I’ll accomplish this by having conversations with the departments and faculty, as well as with Concordia’s external partners, as we align our priorities with the university’s Academic Plan,” he explains.
Asif received his MSc (1993) and PhD (1996) in electrical and computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, after obtaining a BSc (1990) in electrical engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology in Lahore, Pakistan.
His research interests are in the area of statistical signal processing and communication, with a current focus on time reversal signal processing. This is used in breast cancer detection, ultrasound imaging, mine detection, and for monitoring large-scale systems, such as electrical grids and unmanned aerial vehicles
The large data sets analysed in Asif’s research come from sources like wireless communication systems, power grids and healthcare networks.
“Better analysis of these data sets helps in our understanding of things like the diffusion of disease, so that preventative measures can be taken,” says Asif, adding that looking at Big Data also helps our understanding of the spread of news and information, voting trends, crowd behaviour and global behaviour.
“I believe in leading by example, so I plan to continue pursuing my research, supervising graduate students and publishing about signal processing.”
Learn more about Amir Asif's background.