Professor Emeritus Mohamad Sawan.

Prof. Sawan, who is widely recognized among his peers, is one of more than 100 new Fellows elected to the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) for their outstanding academic, scientific and artistic achievements. The new cohort will be inducted on November 25, 2022, at a ceremony in Calgary, Alberta.

The Royal Society of Canada recognizes Professor Sawan as a world leader in biomedical engineering. “He is credited with several major breakthroughs, including chip-integrated implantable devices for the measurement and electrical stimulation of the visual cerebral cortex in order to restore sight to the blind, work that has received international recognition. His scientific contributions have been applied in a variety of specialties including audiology, urology, respirology, vision, epilepsy, and limb movement,” the RSC says.

“It is both an honour and a source of great pride to be named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada,” Prof. Sawan says. “I feel like I can finally give this honour to Polytechnique Montréal, which gave me the tools to achieve this accomplishment.”

Founded in 1882, the Royal Society of Canada comprises the Academy of Arts and Humanities, the Academy of Social Sciences and the Academy of Science, as well as the College of New Researchers and Creators in Art and Science. It recognizes excellence, advises governments and society at large, and in partnership with other national academies around the world, promotes a culture of knowledge and innovation in Canada. Since its establishment, nearly 2,500 people have been elected by their peers to join this prestigious academy. These researchers come from all disciplines, and were chosen because they have distinguished themselves in an exceptional way through their scientific publications, their scholarship, their creative activities, or by their original contributions in the arts, humanities, science, or public life.

Prof. Sawan holds a bachelor’s degree in Applied Sciences from Université Laval as well as a master’s and a PhD from Université de Sherbrooke. He joined Polytechnique in 1991 as an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor in 1994 and to Full Professor in 1998.

Prof. Sawan held a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Smart Medical Devices from 2001 to 2015. He is director of the Regroupement stratégique en microsystèmes du Québec (microsystems research alliance on smart medical devices—ReSMiQ) and founder of both the Polystim neurotechnologies laboratory and the Biostim integrated mixed-signal biosystems laboratory. An eminent researcher and prolific author, he has authored or co-authored nearly 1,000 scientific papers on topics related to biomedical devices such as implantable sensors and micro-stimulators, ultrasound systems and optical devices, among others. Prof. Sawan, who was named Professor Emeritus in July 2020, continues to contribute to the next generation of researchers by training and supervising the research projects of several students.

He has earned many awards and distinctions during his brilliant career, including being named an Officer of the Ordre national du Québec and receiving the Joseph-Armand-Bombardier Award and the Jacques-Rousseau Award from the Association francophone pour le savoir (ACFAS), all of which attest to his exceptional contribution to Polytechnique’s national and international reputation.

Our congratulations to Professor Sawan!

Find out more

Expert profile of Professor Mohamad Sawan
Website of the Department of Electrical Engineering (in French)
Website of the Royal Society of Canada