Dr. Naweed Syed

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Naweed Syed to the position of Advisor to the Vice-President (Research) on Biomedical Engineering for a two-year period, March 1, 2008 to February 28, 2010. Dr. Syed is Professor and Head, Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy in the Faculty of Medicine. A graduate of University of Leeds, England (PhD, Neurophysiology), Dr. Syed has been an Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) Scientist, a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) investigator, and has received numerous fellowships, awards and honours. Most recently he was elected to Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. Associate Vice-President (Research), effective January 1, 2009.

Dr. Syed’s research focuses on defining how networks of brain cells are put together during development to control rhythmic behaviours, such as respiration and locomotion. In collaboration with a group in Germany, his group has developed brain chip interfacing technologies that offer the potential for future brain controlled prosthetic devices.

As Advisor to the VPR, Dr. Syed will provide guidance and overall leadership in the development and implementation of a University of Calgary Biomedical Engineering (BME) strategy. The U of C BME strategy will be University wide, involving multiple Faculties and disciplines, and will provide the overarching umbrella for current and future BME initiatives, including but not limited to the following:

• Proposal for a Alberta Ingenuity Fund (AIF) Centre for Commercialization and Research, entitled “Center for Integrated Biomedical Technology”, project leader: Dr. Janet Ronsky, Schulich School of Engineering; Letter of Intent (LOI) accepted and invited to submit full proposal May 2008;
• Proposal for a National Biomedical Engineering Innovation Centre (N-BEIC) – a Pan-University of Calgary Biomedical Engineering Institute reporting to the Vice-President (Research) and Vice-President (Academic)/Provost - in collaboration with the National Research Council (NRC);
• Discussion of BME undergraduate and graduate education and how best to build on current strengths;
• Proposal for an AIF Accelerator in BME;
• BME proposal as part of CFI round 6 applications.

I acknowledge with thanks current and future contributions, excellence in research and education, and enthusiasm of the entire U of C BME community in these endeavours. I particularly want to acknowledge the continued leadership of Drs. Janet Ronsky, Jeff Dunn, Nigel Shrive, Garnette Sutherland, Cy Frank, David Hart, Randall Johnston, and Wayne Giles. The Deans of the involved Faculties, Deans Cannon, Murphree, Cribb, Feasby, Giles and Tapp, have been and will continue to be instrumental and critical to the success of this exciting and interdisciplinary academic initiative. There are many others, known and unknown to me, who have helped bring BME at U of C to this important stage, and I acknowledge and thank them all.

Please join me in thanking Dr. Naweed Syed for taking on this Advisor role, and in offering our support to him in this task.

Dr. Rose Goldstein
Vice-President (Research)
University of Calgary