‘Research collaborations with industry partners are ongoing and robust’
Mourad Debbabi stepped into the role of interim dean of the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science on May 1.
While the pandemic has changed working habits the world over, faculty and staff at the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science (GCS) have diligently pivoted operations to enhance teaching for the online environment.
With experiential learning at the core of GCS’s mission, new opportunities for hybrid and inclusive learning are on the horizon. The goal is to help students stay engaged, focused and socially active, while giving them access to a high-calibre education.
Under the new leadership of interim dean Mourad Debbabi, who assumed the role on May 1, research labs that require on-site access reopened this past summer.
“Moreover, our research collaborations with industry partners are ongoing and robust, enriching the relationships with the public and private sector that make the Gina Cody School such a relevant training ground,” says Debbabi, a professor at the Concordia Institute for Information Systems Engineering, NSERC/Hydro-Québec Thales Senior Industrial Research Chair in Smart Grid Security and Honorary Concordia University Research Chair Tier I in Information Systems Security.
While new to the role, Debbabi has been implicated in some big initiatives at GCS. Most recently, in August 2019, he and his team of cybersecurity researchers received $560,000 to launch the Open-Source Cyber Fusion Centre with Carleton University and two industrial partners, eGloo and AvanTech.
This past June, the Carolina Gallo Scholarship for Women in Engineering and Computer Science was introduced to help achieve a more equitable gender balance in fields still largely dominated by men.
Carolina Gallo, BA 84, a social-justice advocate and political science graduate, cites Gina Cody, MEng 81, PhD 89 — GCS’s chief supporter and namesake donor — as an inspiration.
“I am very proud of what Concordia has become,” says Gallo. “It made me who I am, and it continues to demonstrate what it means to be progressive, open and inclusive.”
Relatedly, and in a first for the school, the Girls Summer Engineering and Technology (GirlSET) camp was delivered as an online program by GCS from July 6 to 17. GirlSET provides engineering experience for girls in grades eight to 11 and encourages them to pursue careers in STEM.
Meanwhile, faculty and researchers are creating partnerships with organizations in both the public and private sectors, highlighting GCS’s research strengths in smart cities and resilient communities, applied artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, software engineering, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, infrastructure management, and cyberphysical systems.
While prioritizing these research strengths, the development of complementary graduate programs continues. Future plans at GCS include creating recruitment strategies to attract top-drawer talent. The school’s proven ability to rise to the demands of the COVID-19 crisis will surely play a part in any success beyond 2020.