Distinguished university professor emeritus Simon Haykin has been awarded the IEEE Denis J. Picard Medal for Radar Technologies and Applications.
Haykin, who is also the director of McMaster’s Cognitive Systems Laboratory, is recognized for his contributions to the development of the theory and practice of radar engineering.
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) medals are the highest technical honour offered by the IEEE. The Dennis J. Picard Medal is awarded for outstanding accomplishments in advancing the fields of radar technologies and their applications.
“The IEEE Picard Medal is a wonderful recognition of Dr. Haykin’s extraordinary contributions to the principles and practice of radar. His insights have not only laid the groundwork for expanding its applications to weather monitoring and autonomous vehicles, but have also had a profound influence on the design of wireless communication systems,” says Tim Davidson, Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering, McMaster University.
“His enthusiasm for sharing these ideas through courses, talks and discussions has enriched the research community across our department, and has helped generations of graduate students launch prominent careers of their own,” he adds.
Haykin is a pioneer in adaptive signal processing with a focus on applications in radar engineering and telecom technology, an area of research which has occupied much of his professional life.
In the mid-1980s, he shifted the focus of his research to the re-emerging area of neural computation. All along, he says he had the vision of revisiting the fields of radar and communications from a brand new perspective.
This award comes just four years after Haykin’s contributions to engineering education were recognized with the 2016 IEEE James H. Mulligan Jr. Education Medal.
