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Dear colleagues, I would like to take a moment to reflect on some of the accomplishments and milestones highlighted in this edition of the Gina Cody School Highlights. This year has been marked by continued progress across our teaching, research and partnership activities. One of the most significant developments is the launch of the Mark Pathy Space Institute, made possible through a transformative $15-million gift. The Institute will create new opportunities for our students and researchers while strengthening Concordia's role in Canada's growing space sector. We have also expanded our academic offerings with two new undergraduate programs in cybersecurity, strengthened international collaborations through a new partnership with UCLA, celebrated the achievements of our faculty, students and alumni, and secured major research funding. These accomplishments are the result of the dedication, expertise and hard work of our faculty and staff. Thank you for the many ways you contribute to the success and reputation of the Gina Cody School. I hope you enjoy this edition of the newsletter and that you have an opportunity to take some well-deserved time to rest and recharge over the summer. Best regards, Mourad Dr. Mourad Debbabi Dean & Professor |
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‘One giant leap for Concordia’: Mark Pathy donates $15 million to launch space institute at the Gina Cody SchoolThanks to a transformative $15-million gift from astronaut and entrepreneur Mark Pathy, Concordia will launch the Mark Pathy Space Institute at the Gina Cody School. The Institute will support research, innovation and student training in space engineering while strengthening Concordia's role in Canada's growing space sector. |
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Launch of two undergraduate programs in cybersecurityThe Gina Cody School has launched two new undergraduate programs in cybersecurity. Students can now pursue either a Bachelor of Engineering or a Bachelor of Science degree beginning in fall 2026. |
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| Dean Mourad Debbabi and Dean Ah-Hyung "Alissa" Park mark the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Gina Cody School and the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering. |
Gina Cody School signs memorandum of understanding with UCLA Samueli School of EngineeringThe Gina Cody School and the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering have signed a memorandum of understanding to support collaboration in engineering and computer science, including opportunities for joint research and student exchanges. |
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Concordia will be a key partner in the future Collaborative Innovation Centre in Aerospace and MobilityConcordia will be a key partner in the future Collaborative Innovation Centre in Aerospace and Mobility (CCIAM), a flagship project of the Espace Aéro innovation zone. Professor Christian Moreau is helping lead the initiative, which recently received a $2-million investment from the Government of Quebec to begin its development. |
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Elena Baranova named Canada Research Chair in Electrochemical Energy Conversion and StorageProfessor Elena Baranova has been named Canada Research Chair in Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage. Her research focuses on technologies that support the transition to cleaner energy systems. |
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John and Pina Sicard’s $1-million gift to Concordia supports neurodiverse students and innovation at the Gina Cody SchoolJohn and Pina Sicard have donated $1 million to support students and innovation at the Gina Cody School. Their gift will establish scholarships, fellowships and an endowment for students in engineering and computer science with autism spectrum disorder. |
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Concordia appoints Emad Shihab as associate vice-president of research, policy, entrepreneurship and impactProfessor Emad Shihab has been appointed associate vice-president of research, policy, entrepreneurship and impact at Concordia, effective November 1, 2025. He previously served as associate dean of research and innovation at the Gina Cody School. |
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Chadi Assi elected Fellow of the Canadian Academy of EngineeringProfessor Chadi Assi has been elected a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, recognizing his contributions to engineering research and innovation. |
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Chunjiang An receives Dorothy Killam Fellowship and Chemical Institute of Canada Early Career Researcher AwardProfessor Chunjiang An, Concordia University Research Chair in Spill Response and Remediation, is recognized for his contributions to environmental research, including oil spill response, shoreline protection and plastics pollution. |
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Dean's Excellence AwardsThe Dean's Excellence Awards recognize outstanding contributions in teaching, leadership and service across the Gina Cody School. Excellence in Teaching by a Junior Faculty Member EDI Awards |
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Gina Cody School’s spring 2026 convocation: the honorandsSal Guerrera, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SAJO, a project delivery and solution services company, will receive an honorary doctorate in recognition of his business leadership and commitment to health care and community well-being. Jackie Ying, chief research and innovation officer at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Saudi Arabia, will receive an honorary doctorate in recognition of her pioneering contributions to bioengineering and nanotechnology. |
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Tse-Hsun (Peter) Chen earns national early-career awardProfessor Tse-Hsun (Peter) Chen has received the 2024 Outstanding Early Career Computer Science Researcher Award from CS-CAN-INFO-CAN. He is one of three researchers in Canada recognized this year. |
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PhD candidate receives 2025 Google PhD FellowshipRachna Raj, a PhD candidate in software engineering, has received a 2025 Google North America PhD Fellowship in Software Engineering and Programming Languages. |
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Rana Ghorayeb receives Humberto Santos Award of Merit and ServiceRana Ghorayeb, BA 97, MEng 01, received the Humberto Santos Award of Merit and Service as part of Concordia's 2026 Alumni Recognition Awards. Ghorayeb is Executive Vice-President and Head of Real Estate at La Caisse, where she oversees the real-estate strategy and investments of Ivanhoé Cambridge, a global portfolio valued at more than $77 billion. A member of Concordia's Board of Governors and the Gina Cody School advisory board, she was also named a Great Concordian in 2025. |
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Alex Ionescu named Alumnus of the YearAlex Ionescu, BCompSc 12, received the Benoît Pelland Alumnus of the Year Award as part of Concordia's 2026 Alumni Recognition Awards. A globally recognized expert in cybersecurity and operating system security, Ionescu is Chief Technology Innovation Officer and co-founder of CrowdStrike. He has advised governments and major technology companies, co-authored the last three editions of Windows Internals and most recently led national signals intelligence initiatives as technical director at the Communications Security Establishment. |
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June Aldinucci receives Outstanding Student Leader AwardBuilding engineering student June Aldinucci received the Outstanding Student Leader Award as part of Concordia's 2026 Alumni Recognition Awards. The award recognizes her exceptional contributions to student life and leadership at Concordia. As president of the Concordia Society for Civil Engineering, she has helped strengthen student engagement while leading and mentoring numerous engineering competition teams and student initiatives. |
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Hong Deng receives International Excellence AwardHong Deng, MEng 01, received the International Excellence Award as part of Concordia's 2026 Alumni Recognition Awards. Deng is founder of Microwise System Co., Ltd., a company that pioneered the use of wireless sensor networks for cultural heritage preservation in China. Under his leadership, the company's monitoring systems have been deployed in more than 100 museums and heritage sites, including the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Terracotta Army, helping institutions protect priceless artifacts through real-time environmental monitoring. |
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Gina Cody School’s fall 2025 convocation: the honorandMaimunah Mohd Sharif, the Mayor of Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia’s Special Envoy for Sustainable Urbanisation, received an honorary doctorate in recognition of her leadership in sustainable urban development and addressed graduates at the Gina Cody School's fall 2025 convocation ceremony. |
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Capstone SDG Impact AwardsThe Capstone SDG Impact Awards recognize student projects that address challenges aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Tier 1 Award: AquaSweep, an autonomous waterway cleanup robot developed by students in electrical and computer engineering. Tier 2 Award: VeloSim, an open-source simulation platform developed by software engineering students to improve the operation of bike-sharing systems. |
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Gina Cody School Trekkers named top Shuffle fundraising teamThe Gina Cody School Trekkers were the top fundraising team at Shuffle 35, raising $29,690 through 139 donations from 72 team members. Funds support the Gina Cody School Student EDI Award and student-led initiatives, including clubs, societies and competitions. The effort was supported by corporate sponsors CAPREIT, Sienna Senior Living and CIMA+. |
Notable events |
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| Magnus Frodigh of Ericsson joined the Gina Cody School on May 4, 2026, for an engaging discussion on how artificial intelligence is becoming part of the design and operation of future 6G networks. |
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| We were pleased to welcome Sami Khoury, senior official for cyber security for the Government of Canada and Concordia alumnus, on April 30, 2026, for a timely discussion on today’s evolving threat landscape and what it means for organizations, leaders and the next generation entering the workforce. |
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| Juan Manuel Ramos Gurrion, Vice President Wireline Networks at Vidéotron, joined us in May for an engaging discussion on Videotron’s evolution and the changing telecommunications landscape in Canada. |
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| A celebration of the Women of the Class of 2026, an inspiring event hosted by the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science. |
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| Dean Mourad Debbabi welcomed participants to HackDécouverte, a hackathon that introduced CEGEP and high school students to programming, research and student life at the Gina Cody School. The event featured hands-on activities, lab tours and opportunities to connect with members of Concordia’s student societies. Thank you to HackConcordia for organizing a successful day of learning and discovery. |
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| Thank you to Walid Rjaibi from IBM for visiting the Gina Cody School to speak about becoming quantum safe earlier this year. In the photo: Carole Fung, Gina Cody Research Chair in Cybersecurity and the Internet of Things with Walid Rjaibi. |
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| Thank you to Karina Kesserwan for joining us at our Law Meets Engineering lecture series for her talk, ChatGPT doesn’t want you to attend this talk! It was a full house for her presentation on artificial intelligence, ethics and human values. From left: Dean Mourad Debbabi, Concordia’s Jurist-in-Residence the Honourable Morton S. Minc, guest speaker Karina Kesserwan and Associate Dean Otmane Ait Mohamed. |
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| Thank you to Pierre Pomerleau, Executive Chairman of the Board at Pomerleau, for joining us on March 24 for his Law Meets Engineering talk "Leadership Lessons from Major Projects" |
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| Thank you to Allen Mendelsohn for an engaging Law Meets Engineering talk on defamation in the digital age back in January. From left: associate dean Hua Ge, Morton S. Minc, guest speaker Allen Mendelsohn. |
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| Dean Mourad Debbabi joined alumni from the Class of 1995 as they returned to Concordia to celebrate 30 years since graduation. The reunion was organized by Concordia Advancement and included the participation of Chancellor Gina Cody. |
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| Dean Mourad Debbabi delivered the opening remarks at the 38th Eastern Canadian Symposium on Water Quality Research, hosted at Concordia University. The symposium was organized by Professors Maria Elektorowicz and Chunjiang An. |
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| Dean Mourad Debbabi met with Dr. Shefali Juneja, Head of the COSPAS-SARSAT Secretariat, and Associate Dean Mazdak Nik-Bakht to discuss potential collaboration opportunities between the Gina Cody School and the International Cospas-Sarsat Programme. |
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| Dean Mourad Debbabi hosted the panel Inspiring the Next Era of Sustainable Energy featuring Gerhard Salge of Hitachi Energy and Christian Bélanger of Hydro-Québec. The event was moderated by Associate Dean Brian Vermeire and was followed by a networking reception hosted by Hitachi Energy and the Gina Cody School. |
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