Speakers

Naweed Syed

Place of Birth : Pakistan
Born : 1957
Position : is Professor and Chief Scientist, Creative Destruction Lab and the Peak Scholar at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Canada
Field of study : : Neuroscience, Neurodevelopment and Neurodegeneration, Biomedical Engineering, Synaptic Plasticity, Brain-Machine Interfacing, Electrophysiology

Prof. Naweed Syed obtained his Master's degree from the University of Karachi, Pakistan in 1984, and his Ph.D. in neurophysiology from the University of Leeds, UK (1988). After a three-year postdoctoral training at the University of Calgary (1988-1991), he was subsequently appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Syed has served as a Department Head for Cell Biology and Anatomy for 10 years and was the Research Director for the Hotchkiss Brain Institute. Dr. Syed led several major research and academic initiatives for the University, ranging from the creation of the Biomedical Engineering Institute (7 faculties interdisciplinary research, education, and innovation program), establishment of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, and leading Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, to establishment of Genome Sequencing at the University of Calgary. He serves on sever industry, academic and educational, and journal boards. Dr. Syed has been the recipient of many international and national awards including Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship (USA), Parker B. Francis Fellowship (USA), Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Scholar, Senior Scholar and Scientist Awards, Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR) Investigator Award and the Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. In 2016, Dr. Syed was awarded the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (Medal of Excellence – the highest civilian award for research and innovation) from the Government of Pakistan. He has also been identified and recognized among 150 Canadian Innovations/ Innovators in lieu of Canada’s 150 Birthday in 2017. Dr. Syed is also the recipient of the Canada-150 Medal from the Senate of Canada. Dr. Syed has given several hundred lectures as an invited keynote speaker and has received over 95 national and international awards from various prestigious organizations.

Dr. Naweed Syed is Professor and Chief Scientist, Creative Destruction Lab and the Peak Scholar at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. He has also served as the Scientific Director of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, the Postdoctoral Program Director – Office of the Vice President (Research) from 2012 – 2016 and was a special advisor to the Vice President Research.