Concordia's M.N.S. Swamy earns two major engineering awards
M.N.S. Swamy has played a central role at Concordia since the 1970s.
Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science professor M.N.S. Swamy’s distinguished career has been further solidified with two prestigious recognitions: he has been elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and awarded the 2025 AGL McNaughton Award from IEEE Canada, the Canadian arm of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
Swamy, the Concordia Research Chair in Signal Processing, joins a select group of scientists recognized by the AAAS for their significant contributions to science and engineering. The Council of the American Association for the Advancement of Science acknowledged Swamy “for outstanding contributions to the broad field of electrical engineering as a researcher, a pioneering educator and a brilliant, dynamic academic administrator.” He will be formally inducted at the 2025 AAAS Fellows Forum in Washington, D.C. on June 7.
Complementing this achievement is Swamy’s recent selection for the 2025 IEEE Canada AGL McNaughton Award — the highest recognition presented by IEEE Canada to outstanding Canadian engineers. Swamy will receive the gold medal and plaque at the Annual IEEE Canada Flagship Conference on Electrical and Computer Engineering in Vancouver, B.C. on May 26, 2025.
“These are richly deserved honours for someone who has been part of the Gina Cody School since the very beginning and helped shape it into what it is today,” says Mourad Debbabi, dean of the Gina Cody School. “Professor Swamy’s career exemplifies excellence in teaching, research and academic leadership.”
A lifetime of impact
Swamy has played a central role at Concordia since the 1970s. He served as founding chair of the university’s Department of Electrical Engineering from 1970 to 1977 and as dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science from 1977 to 1993. During his tenure, he introduced several new programs — including Quebec’s first computer engineering degree and the first building engineering degrees in Canada — that helped position Concordia as a hub for engineering education and research.
He has published more than 250 journal articles, co-authored nine books, holds five patents, has supervised more than 50 PhD theses and more than 50 MASc theses and has mentored more than 50 postdoctoral fellows and research associates. Swamy continues to play an active role in mentoring and scholarship as a professor and as editor-in-chief of the journal Circuits, Systems, and Signal Processing, a position he has held since 1999.
His many honours include the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ (IEEE) highest recognition in the Circuits and Systems Society — the Mac Van Valkenburg Award — which he received in 2022, as well as the society’s Education Award and the IEEE Millennium Medal. In 2021, he became the first Concordia professor to receive the IEEE Montreal Section Gold Medal. He is a fellow of the IEEE, the Canadian Academy of Engineering, the Engineering Institute of Canada and several other international societies.
Giving back to support future engineers
In 2023, Swamy was awarded the Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Saskatchewan, his alma mater, for a lifetime of accomplishments and influence in engineering.
That same year, he established the Dean M.N.S. Swamy Engineering Entrance Scholarship Endowment for Indigenous Students.
“I don’t remember seeing Indigenous students in engineering when I was a student or even early in my teaching career,” Swamy said at the time. “If this award helps even one student enter the field and inspires others, I will be grateful.”
The scholarship supports one first-year undergraduate student each year entering an engineering program at Concordia.
“You continue in your life by learning as well as by teaching,” he added. “That’s how we give back — by sharing knowledge and opening doors for others.”
In 2023, he also established a similar scholarship for Indigenous students in engineering at the University of Saskatchewan.
Swamy was also awarded an Alumni Recognition Award – Honorary Life Membership by Concordia in May 2023, recognizing his remarkable legacy and continued engagement with the university community.
Find out more about Concordia’s Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science.
