Adel Sedra is a Canadian Engineer, a professor of electrical engineering, a leader in university administration, and a best-selling textbook author. Born in Egypt in 1943, Adel Sedra received the B.Sc. degree from Cairo University, Egypt, in 1964, and the M.A.Sc and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Toronto, Canada, in 1968 and 1969 respectively, all in Electrical Engineering.
Dr. Sedra joined the faculty of the University of Toronto in 1969, rising to the rank of Professor in 1978. During 1986-1993, he served as Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. On July 1, 1993, he assumed the position of Vice-President, Provost, and Chief Academic Officer of the University of Toronto and served in this capacity for nine years. He joined the University of Waterloo in 2003 and served as the Dean of Engineering for nine years. Since July 2014, he has been Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Waterloo.
Professor Sedra specializes in the area of microelectronics. He has co-authored about one hundred and fifty papers and three textbooks. One of his books, Microelectronic Circuits co-authored by K.C. Smith, is now in its eighth edition and has been translated into ten languages. First published in 1982, the book established a new basis for the teaching of the subject. More than four decades later, Sedra/Smith, as the book is popularly known remains the dominant text for teaching electronic circuits to undergraduate engineering students worldwide.
Dr. Sedra served on the Research Council of the Canadian Institute of Advanced Research (CIFAR) for nearly twenty years and was a member of the Expert Panel of the Council of the Canadian Academies that produced the report “The State of Science and Technology in Canada, 2012.” Awards and honours include: FIEEE (1984), FCAE (1999), FRSC (2003), Education Medal of the IEEE (1996), Award of Excellence of Ontario Professional Engineers (2002). He holds seven honorary doctorates. In January 2014, Dr. Sedra was invested in the Order of Ontario.