Professor Baochun Li elected Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada

ECE professor Baochun Li has been elected a 2024 Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC), which recognizes excellent contributions to engineering as well as services to the profession and to society.  

Li is a leading researcher and innovator in multimedia systems, networking, cloud computing and distributed systems. A Bell Canada Endowed Chair in Computer Engineering since 2005, he has worked closely with industry partners such as Bell Canada and Microsoft to advance the networking and video streaming sectors.   

He was one of the first researchers to design a control-theoretic quality adaptation framework for video processing applications, receiving the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Communications Society Leonard G. Abraham Award for this work.   

Li’s research on cloud computing security significantly improved privacy and security when sharing files through the cloud, allowing third-party auditors to verify the integrity of shared files. He has also made essential contributions to scheduling resources in cloud computing systems, making data transfers in datacentres much more efficient.  

Li led the creation of R2, the world’s first large-scale peer-to-peer video streaming system using network coding. In 2007, in close collaboration with media streaming company UUSee Inc., he implemented R2 in UUSee’s flagship live streaming product as a free Windows application, which has been downloaded by millions of users since. In 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, he launched Duetone, one of the first dedicated online conferencing platforms.   

A leader in his professional community, Li has held key roles at IEEE INFOCOM, including as its Chief Architect, Software and Systems and General Chair. He is a fellow of the IEEE and the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and he is the recipient of many awards.  

Li’s work has garnered more than 25,000 citations, an H-index of 87 and six best paper awards. Many of his publications are considered essential references in networking and distributed systems.  

“We celebrate Professor Li’s leadership and recognition in areas of networking, cloud computing and distributed systems,” says Christopher Yip, Dean of U of T Engineering.  

“His research is making the networks we use more efficient and more secure. On behalf of the Faculty, my warmest congratulations on this well-deserved honour.” 

“Professor Li’s dedication and passion for all aspects of his work are strongly evident, and EIC has made a very fitting choice,” says ECE Chair Professor Deepa Kundur. “He inspires our professors and students to strive for excellence, and has truly redefined the role of Associate Chair of Research in ECE, where he combines industry awareness with his enthusiasm for innovation. Congratulations, Baochun!”