Davison, E. J.
Professor

Biography

Edward J. Davison received the A.R.C.T. degree in piano in 1958, the BASc in Engineering-Physics and the M.A. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Toronto in 1960, 1961 respectively, and the PhD degree and Sc.D. degree from Cambridge University in 1964 and 1977, respectively. He was an Assistant Professor at the  Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Toronto in 1964 – 1966,  an Assistant Professor in the Dept of Electrical and Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley in 1966 – 1967, and an Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Professor in the ECE Department, University of Toronto, in 1967 – 1968, 1968 – 1974, 1974 – 2001 respectively. He was appointed a University Professor, Dept of ECE, University of Toronto in 2001 and University Professor Emeritus, in 2004. He was inducted into the University of Toronto’s Engineering Alumni Hall of Distinction in 2003, and was awarded the Electrical and Computer Engineering Club Teaching Award  in 2002. He has been a Designated Consulting Engineer of the Association of Professional Engineers of the Province of Ontario since 1979, and was President of Electrical Engineering Consociates Ltd., 1997 – 1999. His research interests are in the area of Control Systems Theory and Automation, with a particular interest in Large Scale Systems,  Decentralized Control, Robustness,  Controller Design of Large Flexible Space Structures,  and Process Control. He has published over 500 research papers, of which one of his papers (1966) has appeared in the Citation Index of Current Contents, and two of his papers have been chosen for best paper awards in the IEEE Trans of Automatic Control (1973), (1980).

Memberships/Awards

• A.R.C.T. (1958), BASc (1960), M.A. (1961), Toronto; Ph.D. (1964), Sc.D. (1977), Cambridge; FIEEE (1978), FRSC (1977), FCAE (2005), P.Eng.
• Elected Foreign Member of the National Academy of Engineering (USA) 2010
• Awarded Canada Outstanding Engineer Award by IEEE (Canada) 2010
• Elected Fellow of International Federation of Automatic Control, July 2005
• Elected Fellow of Canadian Academy of Engineering, June 2005
• Elected Guest Professor, Center of 21st Century COE Project, Tokyo Denki University, 2005 -2008
• Inducted into University of Toronto Engineering Alumni Hall of Distinction, Oct 2003
• Awarded Canada Council Killam Prize in Engineering, May 2003
• Elected Life Fellow of Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, 2003
• Elected to the rank of University Professor, University of Toronto, Jan 2001
• Elected Member of Academy of Nonlinear Sciences (ANS), Moscow, Russia, Jan 1998
• Awarded the IEEE Control System Society’s Hendrik W. Bode Lecture Prize, Dec 1997
• President, Electrical Engineering Consociates Ltd., Toronto, 1997-1999
• Awarded the International Federation of Automatic Control “Outstanding Member Service Award”, July 1996
• Elected Member of Council of Academy of Science of the Royal Society of Canada, April 1996
• Presented Robert T. Chien Distinguished Lecture, Coordinated Science Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, May 2, 1994
• Awarded the 1993 Triennial Quazza Medal from the International Federation of Automatic Control, July 1993
• Vice-Chairman of International Federation of Automatic Control Policy Committee, 1996-1999
• Member of International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) Council,1990-1996
• Vice-Chairman of International Federation of Automatic Control Technical Activities Board, 1990-1993
• Chairman, International Federation of Automatic Control Theory Committee, 1987-1990
• Elected Honorary Professor of Beijing Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1986
• Member of Killam Selection Award Committee, Canada Council, 1985-1987
• Consulting Editor, IEEE Trans. on Automatic Control, 1985
• Awarded IEEE Centennial Medal, 1984.
• Elected “Distinguished Member” of IEEE Control Systems Society, 1984
• President IEEE Control Systems Society, 1983
• Awarded Canada Council Killam Research Fellowships, 1979-1980; 1981-1983
• Elected Fellow Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 1978
• Elected Fellow Royal Society of Canada, 1977
• Awarded E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship, 1974-1977
• Designated Consulting Engineer of Association of Professional Engineers of Province of Ontario, 1979-1984; 1984-1989; 1989-1994; 1994-1999; 1999-2005; 2005-present
• Awarded Athlone Fellowship, 1961-1963