By Adit Kumar
It is with great pride that I write about our own world-class Indo-Guyanese academic and scholar, distinguished university Professor Jamal Deen, also the Senior Canada Research Chair in Information Technology, who was just appointed to the Order of Canada – one of Canada’s highest civilian honor.
His citation reads: “Jamal Deen is a prominent global leader in electrical engineering and applied physics. Professor at McMaster University, he is a world-class expert in semiconductor devices and circuits and their applications. His extensive achievements, ranging from theory and modelling to practical applications, have had profound impact on the development of optical detection, imaging and sensing systems, and the development of wireless technologies. His leadership in numerous academic and professional institutions is equally renowned, notably as the President of the Academy of Science of the Royal Society of Canada.”
Dr Deen's close collaborator and colleague, Prof. Ravi Selvaganapathy, Canada Research Chair in Biomicrofuilidics and Professor of Mechanical Engineering, when contacted to comment on the recipient's prestigious honor, stated: “Dr. Jamal Deen has been my close collaborator, colleague and mentor for more than a decade now. First of all, he is a kind, caring and good human being. His empathy and kindness to everyone he comes across is amazing and something valuable that I learned from him. He treats everyone with respect and dignity, irrespective of their station in life or society. With his colleagues, he often goes the extra mile in thinking of them and caring about their careers and advancements. I am amazed by the energy and the time that he devotes on a regular basis to help colleagues and advance their career through suggesting research ideas, offering mentorship and advice or in nominating them for prestigious awards or fellowships. He has also been an excellent mentor to me and many others at McMaster and beyond, in distilling his life's worth of experience and offering advice. He is also a top quality researcher and a visionary. He has the knack of identifying emerging areas of research and building large, multidisciplinary teams to accomplish ideas in them. Finally, I would say that he brings together people and leaves a trail of success and friends as he moves to new heights, achievements and goals in his long and illustrious career.”
Another of Dr Deen's close collaborator and colleague in cardiology and medicine, Dr. Tapas Mondal, responded with: “I am honoured to say a few words about Prof. Jamal Deen on his receiving the highest Civilian Canadian award. I am amazed by the extensiveness of his research and number of collaborators spread across the continents. It is my proud privilege to have been one of those collaborators. This gave me the opportunity to closely watch how warmly he treats and greets the junior faculty members and, even his trainees. It’s a pleasure to see how passionately he talks on a variety of topics which, of course, are always presented simply, yet logically, touched by his sheer ingenuity. His abundant enthusiasm and energy easily spread to fellow colleagues. Professor Deen, an extremely talented person, is always patient with people even when in complete disagreement, fitting perfectly with his pleasant personality. He remains easily approachable even after achieving the highest degree of national and International awards of excellence. Professor Deen believes in collegiality and camaraderie and always goes above and beyond to help every member of the team. That makes him a true leader.”
Asked to comment on receiving this honor, Dr Deen stated, “I am delighted and humbled to receive such a prestigious honor and recognition, which was a surprise. I sincerely thank my family for their care and support, and the outstanding teams of researchers and collaborators who have helped realize our research vision. I am also fortunate to work in an environment where excellence in research, education and volunteer activities are promoted.”
Indo Caribbean World has published articles about the maany honors and awards received by Dr. Deen. This son of the Caribbean has been a trailblazer and an inspiration for all peoples but especially those from his background,