Clockwise from top left: Professors Zheng-Hong Lu, Jeffrey Packer (at right), Yu Sun and Kamran Behdinan are have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Fellows are recognized for meritorious efforts to advance science or its applications. (Credits, clockwise from top left: Mark Balson, Neil Ta, Liz Do, Ray Cheah)
November 21, 2016 – Professors Kamran Behdinan and Yu Sun have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the largest international organization dedicated to advancing science or its applications on a global basis. They are among four U of T Engineering faculty elected.
Fellows are recognized for meritorious efforts to advance science or its applications. The new fellows will be announced in the November 25 issue of Science and honoured at the AAAS Fellows Forum in Boston on February 18, 2017.
A groundbreaking researcher in engineering design and design education, Kamran Behdinan has led the development of several innovative engineering education programs, both at U of T and at Ryerson. Behdinan joined U of T in 2011 as the NSERC Chair in Multidisciplinary Engineering Design. He immediately established two unique initiatives: the Institute for Multidisciplinary Design and Innovation and the multidisciplinary capstone design course. Before joining the Faculty, he established the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Ryerson and served as its inaugural chair. Behdinan was elected for “distinguished contributions to engineering education, particularly the development of Canada’s first stand-alone aerospace engineering department and the creation of multidisciplinary design institutes and courses.”
Yu Sun is internationally recognized as a leader in automation science and engineering at micro-nanometer scales. He is a pioneer in developing robotics and automation technologies for manipulating and characterizing cells, molecules, and nanomaterials. Sun was among the first to invent robotic approaches for automated cell manipulation, and his work has resulted in breakthroughs in clinical cell surgery, cellular and intracellular measurement, and nanomanufacturing. His micro-nanotechnology research has also significantly advanced the field of cellular mechanobiology and nanomechanics. Sun was elected for his “distinguished contributions in developing innovative micro- and nano-technologies for biomedical research and clinical applications, particularly the automated manipulation and characterization of cells and nanomaterials.”
“The recognition of four Engineering professors by this prestigious international organization is a testament to our global reputation as leaders in both research and education,” said Dean Cristina Amon. “On behalf of the Faculty, I congratulate our new AAAS fellows on this richly deserved honour.”
