Syed Imtiaz Ahmad, Vice President - Canada

Dr. Syed Imtiaz Ahmad was born in the Indian Subcontinent in 1941 and came to Canada in 1962. He completed his Ph.D. and M.A. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Ottawa. Shortly after completing his Ph.D. (EE, Ottawa, 1967), Dr. Imtiaz Ahmad was appointed Head of Computer Division in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the West Pakistan University of Engineering & Technology in Lahore, Pakistan. During this time, Dr. Ahmad also acted as a consultant to local industries, and was a guest lecturer at the West Pakistan Institute of Management and the National Institute of Public Administration. Dr. Ahmad was frequently asked to conduct programs on the national television and radio.

In 1970, Dr. Ahmad moved to Ottawa, Canada, where he joined the University of Ottawa. He first worked as a Consultant at the Center for Cybernetic Studies, and then as a regular faculty member in the Department of Computer Science. In 1973, Dr. Ahmad was asked to join the University of Windsor where he became the Director and Professor in the School of Computer Science. While in this capacity he also continued to serve as a consultant to private and government organizations.

Dr. Ahmad has held responsibilities in several professional and social organizations, on both the national and international levels. He has been President of the Computer Science Association (CSA) of Canada, President of the Association of Muslim Scientists and Engineers of North America (AMSE), President of Association of Pakistani Scientists and Engineers of North America (APSENA), and President of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).  He has served for multiple terms as ISNA VP Canada. Currently, he is also serving as President of the Human Development Institute (HDI), and President of the Canada Pakistan Association of Scientists and Engineers (CPASE).

In 1981 Dr. Ahmad joined Eastern Michigan University as a fully tenured Professor in Computer Information Systems Department, and has been playing a leading role there at various levels of University governance. He is a member of the Eastern Michigan University Faculty Council (Senate), member of the University Committee for General Education Courses, CIS Program Advisor and Chair of the CIS Program Curriculum  Committee. From July 1994 to December of 1996, he took professional leave from Eastern Michigan University in order to assume an assignment at the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM), where he served as the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering. While at IIUM, Dr. Ahmad Chaired the University Technical Computing Committee (UTCC), and was responsible for the data and voice networks, and computing facilities for the entire campus. He also served as Chairman of the IIUM Senate Committee for developing a University-wide course in Creative Thinking and Problem Solving, and also headed a multi-million dollar project for design and implementation of voice and multimedia data infrastructures at the new IIUM campus.

Dr. Imtiaz Ahmad has authored and edited several books on computer hardware, software, and information systems. He has published numerous technical papers in journals, including an article for the Encyclopedia of Robotics, and served as head of research teams. He has been serving as the Editor In-Chief of the International Journal of Science and Technology (IJST) published by the Foundation for International Development (FID), USA, and also served as the Project Leader for Knowledge Online (KOL) International Project.

In addition to regular consulting for business and industry, Dr. Imtiaz Ahmad has been invited internationally by academic organizations and government agencies for seminars and advising on research and development (R&D) projects.