Dr. Safieddin (Ali) Safavi-Naeini, known to all who knew him as Ali, was a Waterloo Engineering professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the director of the Centre for Intelligent Antenna and Radio Systems (CIARS).
Born in Iran, Ali received his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from the University of Tehran and his master’s and PhD degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1979. He started his academic career at the University of Tehran in 1980, and joined the University of Waterloo as a full-time faculty member in 1996.
Ali has made significant contributions to the field of antenna and electromagnetics theory, and its applications in practice. Ali’s broad range of research interests included communications, biomedical devices, superconductivity and new types. Inspired by electromagnetics theory and Maxwell’s equations to create new powerful technologies for humanity, Ali established CIARS, the internationally recognized centre on electromagnetics.
The centre attracted bright and successful students and postdocs while developing close ties with industry. Many of these students and postdocs were international, finding themselves in an unfamiliar environment and without their usual support networks. Ali's unparalleled support was not just academic; it was also crucial in helping them navigate and find their place in Canadian society. Many of Ali’s current and former students, Canadian and international, describe how he went beyond the role of research supervisor, welcoming them into the CIARS family group with warmth and interest, making them feel at home despite the challenges they faced.
In remembering Ali, Dr. Mary Wells, dean of Waterloo Engineering, highlighted how “through his compassionate and caring spirit, he strived to be a research mentor and a friend. His dedication to his research and his ability to create a world-leading facility in electromagnetics and wireless technology at the University of Waterloo was an inspiration to many." Our Waterloo Engineering community has lost one of its leading lights and we will miss Ali deeply.
Ali is survived by his wife Marzieh Palizban, two sons, Amir and Kasra, and his siblings, Reihaneh, Reza, and Hamid. The family has established an endowed scholarship to support graduate students in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering that will help continue Ali’s work.
This scholarship will support master’s or doctoral students engaged in research in electromagnetics, ranging from radio to microwave to terahertz and optics, and applied to a variety of topics including, but not limited to, communications, imaging, superconductivity and biomedical sensing.
In remembrance of Professor Ali, we invite you to make a memorial donation in support of the Professor Safieddin (Ali) Safavi- Naeini Graduate Scholarship.