Michel Nakhla

Michel Nakhla is a Chancellor’s Professor of Electrical Engineering at Carleton University. He received the M.A.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, in 1973 and 1975, respectively. Before starting his academic career, he worked at Bell-Northern Research beginning as a research engineer and advancing to become senior manager of the VLSI design automation group. In 1988 he joined Carleton University where he held the NSERC-Nortel Industrial Research Chair in Computer- Aided Design of High-Speed Circuits. He is the founder of the high-speed CAD research group at Carleton University and is a frequent invited speaker on the topic of high-speed interconnects.

He is one of the first pioneers to introduce the concept of Harmonic Balance, which is the backbone of current RF and microwave circuit simulators. He is the co-recipient of the IEEE 2002 Microwave prize in recognition of the most significant contribution by a published paper to the field of interest to the Microwave Theory and Techniques Society. He was awarded the IEEE Fellowship in 1998 for his contributions to the development of advanced computer-aided design techniques for microwave circuits and high-speed interconnects. He has authored and co- authored more than 380 technical papers that contributed significantly to the evolution of the Design Automation field. He was recognized as Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering in 2016 for “trendsetting achievements and contributions to the state of the art in computer-aided design of large scale and high-speed VLSI circuits and systems and for providing an exemplary leadership and service as researcher, educator, and as an R&D engineering manager”. In 2017, he was awarded the A. G. L. McNaughton Gold Medal, IEEE Canada’s highest honour, for outstanding contributions to signal integrity of high-speed systems and interconnects.

He is currently Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology and served as Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems. He is serving on various international committees, including the Standing Committee of the IEEE Signal and Power Workshop, the Technical Program Committee of the IEEE International Microwave Symposium, and the CAD Committee of the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society. He is on the Review Boards of various technical journals and served as a member of many Canadian and international government-sponsored research grants selection panels.

Academic/Industry Experience

• 2003-present: Chancellor's Professor: Department of Electronics, Carleton University, Ottawa.
• 2001-2003: Chairman: Department of Electronics, Carleton University, Ottawa.
• 1988-2003: Professor: Department of Electronics, Carleton University, Ottawa.
• 1983-1988: Senior Manager: VLSI Design Automation, Bell-Northern Research/NORTEL, Canada
• 1980-1983: Manager: Computer-Aided Engineering Group, Bell-Northern Research, Canada
• 1976-1980: Senior Research Engineer, Bell-Northern Research, Canada

Recent Awards and Distinctions

• Received the 2017 IEEE Canada A.G.L. McNaughton Gold Medal for “outstanding contributions to signal integrity of high-speed systems and interconnects”. The gold medal is the highest award possible from the Canadian branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and is awarded annually to only one outstanding recipient across Canada.
• Inducted as a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering in 2016 for “trend-setting achievements and contributions to the state of the art in computer-aided design of large scale and high-speed VLSI circuits and systems and for providing an exemplary leadership and service as educator, R&D engineering manager, and researcher”.
• Elected IEEE Fellow in 1998/Life Fellow in 2011 for “contributions to the development of advanced computer-aided design techniques for microwave circuits and high-speed interconnects”.
• Recipient of the IEEE 2002 Microwave Prize in recognition of the most significant contribution by a published paper to the field of interest to the Microwave Theory and Techniques Society.
• Best Paper Award: IEEE Transactions on Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology (2013).
• Best Paper Award: IEEE Transactions on Advanced Packaging (2007).
• Best Paper award: IEEE Signal Propagation on Interconnects Conference (2018).
• Best Paper award: IEEE Signal Propagation on Interconnects Conference (2011).
• Recipient of IBM Faculty Award (2004).
• Recipient of IBM Faculty Award (2005).
• Recipient of Carleton University Research Achievement Award (2007).
• NORTEL/NSERC Senior Industrial Chair in Computer-aided Engineering (1988-98).
• Recipient of Carleton University Research Achievement Award (1999).
• Recipient of Carleton University Graduate Teaching Achievement Award (1999).
• Recipient of two NORTEL Outstanding Contribution Patent Awards (1986).