Three U of T Engineering professors have been recognized by the Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC) for their distinguished contributions to engineering. Professors Markus Bussmann (MIE) and Krishna Mahadevan (ChemE) have been elected EIC fellows for “excellence in engineering and services to the profession and to society,” while Professor Konstantinos Plataniotis (ECE) has been awarded the CPR Engineering Medal for “leadership and distinguished service to a society within the Institute at the regional/local level.”
Bussmann is chair of the Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering. A leader in engineering education and academic administration, he has served as Associate Chair for Graduate Studies in MIE (2009-2013) and Vice-Dean, Graduate at U of T Engineering (2013-2017). Now in his second term as chair of MIE, he has promoted a culture of teaching excellence and student engagement. An award-winning educator, he has taught courses in computer programming, engineering mathematics, fluid mechanics and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Through his research, Bussmann has made important contributions to both algorithms and applications for various materials processes, such as coatings, pulp and paper manufacturing, and materials and chemical processing. He has also made exceptional contributions to his field through his leadership roles in engineering organizations.
Bussmann played a key role in the creation of the Canadian Graduate Engineering Consortium. He served as director of the CFD Society of Canada from 2008-2013 and hosted their annual conference in 2014. He also recently chaired the 2024 Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering (CSME) Conference. Bussmann is a fellow of CSME and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He received the CSME Robert Angus Medal, the society’s highest honour, in 2019.
Mahadevan is a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry and the Canada Research Chair in Metabolic Systems Engineering. He was a research scientist at Genomatica Inc., San Diego from 2002–2006 and held appointments as a visiting scholar in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of California, San Diego, and the Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Mahadevan is a pioneer in the modeling and design of metabolism for industrial and environmental biotechnology and medicine. His group has developed a new approachknown as dynamic metabolic engineering for increasing bioprocess productivity, and developed new methods for enzyme discovery and strain engineering for sustainable production of valuable biochemicals for consumer materials and industrial processes. He has published more than 185 articles on these topics.
Mahadevan has received several awards for his research, including the Society of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology’s Young Investigator Award in 2012, the Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship in 2014, the Syncrude Innovation Award in 2014, the Biochemical Engineering Journal Young Investigator Award in 2017, and the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering D.G. Fisher Award in 2021.
Plataniotis is a professor in The Edward S. Rogers Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, where he directs the Multimedia Laboratory. His research focuses on image and signal processing, machine learning, adaptive learning systems, visual data analysis, multimedia and affective computing. He is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Engineering Institute of Canada, and the Canadian Academy of Engineering. Plataniotis has made significant contributions to IEEE, serving as chair of the IEEE Toronto Section (2004-2005), during which time he expanded membership and enhanced educational offerings.
As chair of the IEEE Educational Activities Board’s Continuing Professional Education Committee (2008), he broadened academic programs for industry practitioners. He is also recognized for his leadership in the IEEE Signal Processing Society (SPS), having served as editor-in-chief of IEEE Signal Processing Letters (2009-2011) and as general co-chair for several key conferences. He now serves as president of SPS, leading more than 23,000 volunteers. In addition to his research and leadership, Plataniotis is a dedicated educator and mentor, receiving the 2005 IEEE Outstanding Engineering Educator Award for his significant impact on engineering education in Canada.
“On behalf of the faculty, congratulations to Professors Bussmann, Mahadevan and Plataniotis on these well-deserved accolades,” says U of T Engineering Dean Christopher Yip.
“This recognition by the Engineering Institute of Canada reflects the impact of our faculty members as researchers, educators and leaders in the profession, within U of T and beyond.”
