Keynote Speakers

Dr. Natalia K. Nikolova (Fellow of the IEEE, Fellow of the CAE P.Eng.(ON)) received the Dipl. Eng. (Radio electronics) degree from the Technical University of Varna, Bulgaria, in 1989, and the Ph.D. (Electrical Engineering) degree from the University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo, Japan, in 1997. Her Ph.D. studies in Japan (1994 to 1997) were supported by a Postgraduate Scholarship from the Government of Japan (Monbusho). From 1998 to 1999, she held a Postdoctoral Fellowship of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), during which time she was initially with the Microwave and Electro-magnetics Laboratory, DalTech, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, and, later, for a year, with the Simulation Optimization Systems Research Laboratory, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada. In July 1999, she joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, McMaster University, where she is currently a Professor.

Her research interests include microwave imaging and inverse scattering, theoretical and computational electromagnetism as well as computer-aided design of high-frequency structures and antennas. She has published more than 110 papers in engineering and physics journals, and has contributed to more than 150 refereed conferences in the field of microwave engineering and radar, antenna engineering, numerical methods, and theoretical electromagnetism. In 2017, Prof. Nikolova published the book Introduction to Microwave Imaging, which is part of the EuMA High Frequency Technology Series sponsored by the European Microwave Association (EuMA). She has also contributed chapters to five books and is a holder of two patents. In 2011, she was appointed an IEEE Distinguished Microwave Lecturer for a 3-year term and has given numerous invited lectures around the world. Dr. Nikolova held a University Faculty Award of NSERC from 2000 to 2005. Since 2008, she is a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in High-frequency Electro-magnetics.

She is a Fellow of the Institute of the Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. Within IEEE, she is a member of the Microwave Theory and Techniques Society and the Antennas and Propagation Society. Within the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society, she is a member of the following Technical Coordinating Committees: MTT-1 (Computer-aided Design), MTT-15 (Microwave Field Theory), and MTT-10 (Biological Effects and Medical Applications). She is also a member of the European Microwave Association and a correspondent of the International Union of Radio Science (URSI). She is a registered Professional Engineer in the province of Ontario.

Dr. Celia Shahnaz, SMIEEE, Fellow IEB, received Ph.D. degree from Concordia University, Canada and is currently a professor at, Department of EEE, BUET, Bangladesh since 2015. She was the winner of Canadian Common Scholarship for pursuing her Ph.D study in Canada and recipient of Bangladesh Academy of Science Gold Medal for her contributions in science and technology. The World Academy of Science (TWAS) members have elected her as a Fellow of TWAS for the advancement of science in developing countries, effective 1 January 2023. Recently, her nomination has been approved and she has been inducted into IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu as a Professional Member into the Eta Chapter of the Board of Governors.

She has been elected as 2022 IEEE WIE Committee Chair-Elect and she is serving as the 2023-2024 IEEE WIE Committee Chair. She has been appointed as 2022-23 Member, IEEE New Initiative Committee, 2021-23 Member, IEEE History Committee, Liaison between IEEE History Committee and IEEE WIE. She has served as 2021-23 Chair, IEEE SPS Women in Signal Processing, 2021-23 Liaison between IEEE SPS and IEEE WIE, 2021-22 Member, IEEE Educational Activities Board Faculty Resource Committee, 2022 Member, IEEE WIE Strategic planning Committee, 2021 Chair, IEEE WIE History Subcommittee, 2020-21 Member, IEEE WIE Senior Member Elevation Drive and 2019-2022 Member, IEEE WIE We Power Subcommittee. She has served as an Editorial board member, IET Signal Processing From 2018 to date. She is the immediate past Chair, IEEE Bangladesh Section, Co-founder & Chair, IEEE EMBS, IAS, RAS, SSIT Bangladesh Chapters, Co-founder & Vice-Chair, IEEE SPS Bangladesh Chapter, Founder and Advisor, WIE AG, and founder and Chair of SIGHT group FLASH, IEEE Bangladesh Section.

She is the recipient of the 2021 IEEE MGA Achievement Award, 2021 Inspiring Women in Academia Award from Bangladesh brand forum, 2019 R10 Humanitarian Activities Outstanding Volunteer Award, 2016 MGA Leadership Award 2015 WIE Inspiring Member Award, 2013 R10 WIE Professional Volunteer Award.

She has more than 22 years of experience (22 years as an IEEE volunteer) in leading impactful Technical, Professional, Educational, Industrial, Women Empowerment, Humanitarian Technology, Power and Energy-related Projects at national/international levels.

Dr.Jan Hesselbarth (Member, IEEE) was born in Dresden, Germany, in 1970. He received the Ph.D. degree from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich), Zürich, Switzerland, in 2002.,He worked as a Design Engineer with Huber + Suhner AG, Herisau, Switzerland, from 2001 to 2005, and a Member of Technical Staff with Bell Labs, Dublin, Ireland, from 2005 to 2008. He then joined ETH Zürich as a Senior Researcher and a Lecturer. Since 2011, he has been a Professor with the Institute of Radio Frequency Technology, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany. His research interests include antennas and millimeter-wave circuits and packaging.

Akshay Kumar Rathore (IEEE Fellow) is an expert in power electronics and control of electrical motor drives. He received the Gold Medal for securing the highest academic standing in his Master’s degree among all electrical engineering specializations at Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi, India. He had two subsequent postdoctoral research appointments with the University of Wuppertal, Germany (2008-2009), and the University of Illinois at Chicago, USA (2009-2010). From November 2010 to February 2016, he served as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore. From March 2016-Dec 2021, he served as an Associate Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada where he was listed in the Provost Circle of Distinction in 2021. He served as Graduate Program Director and Chair of Graduate Awards during 2020-21.

His research is mainly focused on the analysis and design of novel current-fed converters (topologies and modulation), soft-switching design and modulation schemes for the dc/dc converters, pulsating DC link (electrolytic capacitorless) inverters, and control of multilevel inverters. He supervised 11 PhD theses and 14 MASc (research) theses.

Dr. Rathore is a recipient of the 2013 IEEE IAS Andrew W. Smith Outstanding Young Member Achievement Award, 2014 Isao Takahashi Power Electronics Award, 2017 IEEE IES David Irwin Early Career Award, 2019 IEEE IES Publications Service Recognition Award, 2020 IEEE IAS Outstanding Area Chair Award, 2020 IEEE Bimal Bose Award for Industrial Electronics Applications in Energy Systems and 2021 Nagamori Award. He published about 285 research papers in international journals and conferences, including 96 IEEE TRANSACTIONS.

He is currently serving as a co-Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, the Awards Department Chair of the IEEE Industry Applications Society, AdCom Member-at-Large and Fellow Evaluation Committee member of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society. He is serving as the Chair of IEEE IAS Renewable and Sustainable Energy Conversion Systems Committee. He led and chaired the IEEE IAS Industrial Automation and Control Committee (2018-19) and IEEE IAS Technical Committee on Transportation Electrification (2016-17). He served as a member of IEEE IES Publications Committee (2016-2021) and IEEE IAS Andrew W Smith Outstanding Young Member Achievement Award Committee (2014-2019). He served as the Chair of IEEE IAS Montreal Chapter from 2017-2021 and received the best Chapter award in 2017 from IEEE Montreal Section for its activities.

He served as the Paper Review Chair (eq. to co-EIC) of IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications (2016-17 and 2020-21), Editor-in-Chief of IEEE IES Technology News (ITeN) (2016-18), Associate Editor of various journals, i.e., IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics (2014-19), IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications (2013-present), IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification (2014-19), IEEE Journal of Emerging Selected Topic in Power Electronics (2013-19), IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology (2016-19), IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy (2014-2021) and IET Power Electronics (2015-19). He edited 5 special issues on the topics of electric transportation, EV charging, marine systems, more electric aircraft, machine learning in power electronics, and renewable energy conversion in different IEEE Transactions as a guest associate editor and as guest-EIC of 2 special issues. He served as the distinguished lecturer (2017-18) and prominent lecturer (2019-21) of the IEEE IAS society.