October 15, 2013
Dr. Muhammad Zulfiker Alam, a post-doctoral fellow in The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, has been announced as the 2013 recipient of the Douglas R. Colton Medal for Research Excellence. Alam received the award at a ceremony Tuesday evening in Gatineau, Que. at CMC Microsystems’ 2013 Annual Symposium.
The Douglas R. Colton Medal for Research Excellence recognizes excellence in research leading to new understanding and novel developments in microsystems and related technologies, such as photonics/optoelectronics, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), microelectronics, microfluidics and embedded software, or the application of microsystems and related technologies in Canada. The annual award includes a medal and a monetary prize of $4,500 and is presented by CMC Microsystems.
Alam’s doctoral work, co-supervised by Professors Mo Mojahedi and Stewart Aitchison, focused on theory and applications of hybrid plasmonic waveguides; specifically, on overcoming the limitations of plasmonics posed by high loss. Alam’s most significant contribution was the first proposal of the hybrid plasmonic waveguide, which utilizes the plasmonic confinement property but does not suffer large loss—this has been widely accepted as one of the most promising plasmonic waveguides proposed to date. Alam’s PhD thesis resulted in 13 publications in high-impact journals, 20 conference publications, and eight invited talks.
Previous Colton Medal winners include truly innovative researchers from across Canada, such as:
- 2012 – Dr. Xinyu Liu, for the development of innovative microbotic and bio MEMS technologies that enable high-throughput, automated manipulation and characterization of single cells for biological and medical applications.
- 2011 – Dr. Leyla Soleymani, who designed, fabricated and tested microelectrode arrays for bio-sensing applications that include medical diagnostics and environmental monitoring.
- 2010 – Dr. Adam Kinsman in recognition of his work on the development of new computer-aided methods that enable the design of reliable, cost-effective and high-performance embedded systems.
- 2009 – Dr. Reza Chaji in recognition of his work on the development of new pixel architecture based on thin film transistors fabricated in low-cost technologies.
- 2008 – Dr. Daryoosh Saeedkia in recognition of his research on terahertz photoconductive sources and detectors and terahertz photonics devices and systems as well as a comprehensive study of the interaction of lasers with ultra-fast photoconductors and high-temperature superconductors.
More information:
Marit Mitchell
Senior Communications Officer
The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
416-978-7997; marit.mitchell@utoronto.ca