Lassonde School of Engineering Founding Dean Janusz Kozinski speaks at the special event to mark a new partnership with Quanser, a design and manufacturing firm based in Markham, Ont.
The world needs a new kind of engineer to solve our greatest challenges, said Lassonde School of Engineering Founding Dean Janusz Kozinski during a special event on Sept. 23 to launch a new partnership between the Lassonde School and Quanser, a design and manufacturing firm based in Markham, Ont.
“Our country needs engineers with passion and perspective, or as we call them 'Renaissance Engineers'. This bold collaboration with Quanser will give our students and researchers the opportunity to develop design-focused solutions to the emerging global challenges we all face,” said Kozinski.
Quanser specializes in the design and manufacture of advanced systems for real-time control design and implementation used in education, research and industry.
Quanser Chief Executive Officer Paul Gilbert said, "Quanser is thrilled to be the lead partner for this amazing adventure. We see in the Lassonde School of Engineering an institution of vision and creativity, and we look forward to world leading collaborations that will change the way we prepare the leaders of tomorrow."
Kozinski and Gilbert were joined at the launch of the new partnership by NSERC Chief Operating Officer Janet Walden, Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti, and York University’s Vice-President, Research & Innovation Robert Haché.
Quanser CEO Paul Gilbert
“This partnership is not about research in ivory towers or developing IP. This is all about giving everyone at the Lassonde School of Engineering the opportunity to apply the principles of design to solve real world problems: whether they are a first year undergraduate or an advanced researcher with Quanser’s exceptional team,” added Kozinski. “Innovation happens when talented people collaborate with unpredictable outcomes. That’s what we believe at Lassonde and our partners at Quanser believe the same thing. We can’t wait to see sparks of creativity fly as we work closely together.”
As part of the event, the holder of a new Chair in Design Engineering for Innovation, which has been created by the Lassonde School of Engineering and Quanser with the support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), was announced. The inaugural holder of the Chair in Design Engineering for Innovation is Professor Alex Czekanski.
Alex Czekanski is the new chair in Design Engineering for Innovation at the Lassonde School
Czekanski joins the Lassonde School from a senior position at Magna International Inc. and brings extensive experience at the intersection of industry and academic research to the chair. He holds an MBA in Management Science and Strategic Management from York’s Schulich School of Business and a PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toronto.