47th C.J. Mackenzie Gala: Dr. Hugh Wood

Описание: Our 2024 gala celebrated Engineering Physics alumnus, Dr. Hugh Wood (BE’66, MSc’69, PhD’72). Dr. Wood’s impact and influence in the profession of engineering – and beyond – continues to this day.

Each year the gala recognizes the achievements of a member of our alumni community who has attained a position of eminence within their profession.

They are honoured as the evening’s Distinguished Lecturer and are inducted into the College of Engineering’s Alumni Wall of Distinction.

2024 Distinguished Lecturer was Dr. Hugh Wood (BE’66, MSc’69, PhD’72)
Engineer. Entrepreneur. Philanthropist. Community builder. Educator. Researcher.

Dr. Hugh Wood’s impact and influence in the profession of engineering – and beyond – continues to this day.

Dr. Wood earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD in Engineering Physics at the University of Saskatchewan. He worked for several years in remote sensing and instrumentation at SED Systems, now Calian Advanced Technologies, then returned to the University and taught in the Electrical Engineering Department for 26 years.

A solid leader, team-builder and problem solver, Dr. Wood served as the Department Head of Electrical and Computer Engineering for six years. During his time on faculty, he was integral to the development of the Digital Signal Processing stream. In recognition of his contributions and support, the 2C74 Electrical Engineering Undergraduate lab was named the Doc Wood Lab in 2019.

In 2000, Dr. Wood joined WaveCom Electronics with founder Surinder Kumar, becoming the company’s chief operating officer. Today the company, now known as Vecima Networks, is valued over $350 million. The Canadian Academy of Engineering inducted Dr. Wood as a Fellow in 2010, recognizing his role in helping to grow the company from a three-person start-up to a significant player in the international telecommunications marketplace.

With his understanding of entrepreneurship and dedication to grow local businesses, Dr. Wood has been a mentor for various startup companies. He is also an active philanthropist, deeply committed to his community. He is a Life Member of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and has served as a reviewer for the Canada Research Chairs program of the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).