Cisco-funded Chair will Facilitate Digital Innovation for Business, Industry and Society
Carleton University and Cisco Canada announced today a $1.8-million grant over the next nine years to establish a Research Chair in Sensor Technology for the Internet of Things – a vast field where new discoveries can substantially improve lives. Dr. Mohamed Ibnkahla has been appointed to the position.
Dr. Ibnkahla will be working at Carleton as a professor in the Department of Systems and Computer Engineering. The focus of his research is to develop new, innovative sensor networks and technologies for the Internet of Things (IoT). Prior to joining Carleton, he was a professor at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont.
The IoT sensor solutions could apply to many areas, including protecting species at risk, patient monitoring, water quality monitoring, intelligent transportation systems, smart homes and buildings, advanced manufacturing and food traceability. They will help companies and industries improve bottom-line value by reducing costs while increasing efficiency and reliability.
The IoT brings together people, processes, data and things to make networked connections more relevant and valuable than ever before. According to a Cisco study published in 2013, the IoT will drive $14.3 trillion of net value at stake globally over the next decade, with $400 billion in Canada alone.
This value at stake is the potential bottom-line value that can be created, or that will migrate among private-sector companies and industries, based on their ability to harness IoT over the next few years.
Dr. Ibnkahla’s research has made significant breakthroughs in the fields of sensor networks and wireless communications and he has been leading several collaborative projects with industry, academia and government.
At Carleton University, he will explore transforming advances in technologies into innovative sensor solutions for the IoT, which will involve expertise in many areas such as big data, cloud computing, sensor communication protocols, signal processing, and machine-to-machine and machine-to-people communications. With Cisco’s support, he will be able to apply the IoT in areas of very high national and international importance, including environment, education, health care, energy, manufacturing, transportation and city governance. It is hoped the research will drive collaboration, productivity and efficiency in the IoT in Canada.
Facts and Highlights:
- Dr. Ibnkahla will connect to the university’s strategic goals and long-range vision to position Carleton as one of the world’s premier institutes of higher learning.
- He will participate in Cisco’s efforts to transform and enhance education by creating hybrid in-class experiences; bringing experts and national resources into the classroom to enhance collaboration assisted by technology.
- Through the various applications of the IoT in our society, he will contribute to Carleton’s focus on sustainable communities and global prosperity.
Quotes:
Roseann O’Reilly Runte, president of Carleton University
“With this chair, Carleton and Cisco confirm a strong partnership dedicated to bringing the technology of the future to the service of society. With the work of Dr. Ibnkahla and his colleagues, we will contribute to Ottawa’s well-deserved reputation as a smart city.”
Bernadette Wightman, president of Cisco Canada:
“Cisco is building collaborative partnerships with universities, governments and organizations across Canada to foster innovation, drive digitization and support economic development. This Research Chair underscores our longstanding relationship with Carleton University and together we recognize the countless opportunities the Internet of Things and sensor-based technologies hold for broadscale innovation in this digital age. We look forward to Dr. Ibnkahla and his team joining our Cisco innovation community.”
Rafik Goubran, dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Design:
“The Faculty of Engineering and Design at Carleton continues to be one of Canada’s leading programs for the study and research of engineering. Dr. Ibnkahla joins an exceptionally strong team of colleagues and future collaborators at Carleton, who will no doubt benefit from his innovative research in the area of the Internet of Things.”
Dr. Mohamed Ibnkahla, CISCO Research Chair in Sensor Technology for the Internet of Things:
“The Internet of Things has the power to establish intelligent cities that are culturally vibrant, healthy, environmentally conscious and well-governed. Today we connect with the Internet through our devices when we activate them. Tomorrow’s objects will connect with us, exchange information, support business processes and create knowledge.”
About Mohamed Ibnkahla:
Dr. Mohamed Ibnkahla obtained his Engineering, MSc and PhD degrees from the National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse, France, in 1992, 1993 and 1996, respectively. From 2000 to 2015, he was a professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont. He joined Carleton University in September 2015, where he is a full professor in the Department of Systems and Computer Engineering.
About Carleton University:
The discovery of knowledge—through research and access to education—is a major priority of the university’s recently announced $300-million fundraising effort, Collaborate: The Carleton University Campaign. Through this campaign, Carleton is engaging partners, philanthropists, students, faculty, staff and alumni to invest in key priorities that will realize change and progress in society. On the eve of our 75th anniversary, the campaign renews Carleton’s founding mandate to be “Here for Good” – to advance education and knowledge as a force for the economic, social and common good of the community we serve.
About Cisco:
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in IT that helps companies seize the opportunities of tomorrow by proving that amazing things can happen when you connect the previously unconnected. Cisco products and services are supplied in Canada by Cisco Systems Canada Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems, Inc. For ongoing news, please go to thenetwork.cisco.com andaboutciscocanada.com/newsroom.
For more information:
Karin Scott
Cisco Canada
416-306-7164
kariscot@cisco.com
Christopher Cline
Carleton University
Media Relations
613-520-2600, ext. 1391
Christopher.Cline@carleton.ca