Cisco Systems Research Chair (Cyber-Physical Systems)
The Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) invites applications for a tenured faculty position as a senior Industrial Research Chair in the area of Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS). CPS tightly couple cyber components, such as computation, network communication and control, with physical systems. An important aspect that sets the design of CPS apart from traditional embedded systems is the need to understand the joint dynamics of the cyber components and physical system. One of the department goals for this position is to leverage existing strengths (such as embedded systems, smart grids, sensor networks and communications) to better respond to CPS opportunities and to facilitate collaboration beyond ECE. A CPS research area that would fit well with this goal is one that focuses on the intersection of embedded computing networks and physical systems, for example, networked control of a distributed physical process.
This Chair is sponsored by Cisco Systems. A CPS application area that is of interest to Cisco Systems is the resource mining industry and thus, over time, some of the research activity of the Chair will need to focus on CPS applications related to mining. There are a number of international mining companies located in Saskatchewan that have expressed interest in working with the Chair. In addition, the University of Saskatchewan is located near a number of large underground mines that may be ideal industrial test-beds for CPS.
The Chair is expected to attract significant funding from government and industrial partners. The industrial funding committed to the chair by Cisco provides an opportunity for obtaining matching funds through an NSERC Senior Industrial Research Chair (IRC), for which the successful candidate is expected to apply.
Required Qualifications
- An earned Ph.D. in electrical or computer engineering.
- Qualified for a tenured appointment at the rank of full professor.
- Internationally recognized researcher, with an outstanding track record, both in terms of publications and the training of graduate students.
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and effectively with colleagues in both industry and academia.
- Effective communication skills.
- Registered as a Professional Engineer with a Canadian professional engineering association, if not held at the time of appointment it must be obtained within two years.
ECE Department: ECE is a research-intensive department with about 25 tenured research faculty, adjunct professors and active emeritus professors. The department has over 110 graduate students and offers M.Eng., M.Sc. and Ph.D. degree programs. The department undergraduate and graduate programs are focused in four areas: Digital Systems; DSP with Communications Applications; Power and Energy; and Sensors, Circuits and Devices. The department has recently hired a senior Industrial Research Chair in the CPS research area of Smart Grids in Power Systems. The department also has two other research chairs: a Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Electronic and Optoelectronic Materials and Devices and a Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Micro and Nano Device Fabrication.
College and University: The College of Engineering is dedicated to developing tomorrow’s leaders and professionals through research, teaching and service and currently offers degrees at the undergraduate (B.Sc.) and post-graduate (M.Eng., M.Sc. and Ph.D.) levels in a wide range of disciplines to nearly 1,800 undergraduate and about 420 graduate students. Located on one of Canada’s most beautiful campuses, the University of Saskatchewan is internationally recognized for its contributions to teaching, scholarship, research and innovation, with more than 20,000 undergraduate students, 3,500 graduate students and 8,500 faculty and staff.
Community: The University of Saskatchewan is located on the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, a city with a population of about 260K. The city is large enough that it has a wide variety of amenities including good shopping and entertainment options, but its size keeps the commute time short. The city is close to nature with lots of trails and it is a great place to raise a family, with many organized activities year around. Please visit www.saskatoon.ca for more information on the city.
Human Resources Information: Commensurate with qualifications and experience, this is a tenured faculty position at the rank of full professor in scope of the University of Saskatchewan Faculty Association (USFA). The salary target, including stipend, will range from $150-190K. This position comes with a comprehensive benefits package, which includes pension plan, life insurance (compulsory and voluntary), academic long term disability, sick leave, travel insurance, death benefit, dental plan, extended health and vision care plan, employee assistance program and flexible health and wellness spending program. The University of Saskatchewan thanks all applicants for their interest; however, only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.
Application Process: Qualified individuals are requested to submit via email a letter of application, a curriculum vitae, a research statement outlining specific research interests (maximum of 4 pages), a teaching statement (maximum 2 pages), and the names and contact information of at least three references to:
Professor Brian Daku
Chair of the Search Committee
Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
University of Saskatchewan
57 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5A9, Canada
Email: [email protected]
Additional information related to this position can be viewed at www.engineering.usask.ca/ece/CiscoChair.php. The review of applications will commence in October 2015, though applications are welcome until the position is filled.
