Andrew Goldenberg
Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Canada.
Biography
Dr. Goldenberg is the pioneer of the field of Robotics at the University of Toronto, where he has held the position of Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering since 1982. He is also cross-appointed in the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering and the Electrical and Computer Engineering department. Since 2011, he has held the title of Professor Emeritus. In addition to his role at the University of Toronto, Dr. Goldenberg serves as an Adjunct Professor at Ryerson University and a Guest Professor at Nanjing University of Science and Technology in the People's Republic of China.
Dr. Goldenberg boasts an impressive academic record, having supervised the largest number of graduate students in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, with 46 Ph.D. and 64 MASc students under his guidance. His scholarly contributions include over 8300 citations, comprising 128 archival journal papers, 294 papers presented at major conferences, 15 book chapters, and 105 granted and applied patents.
Prior to his academic tenure, Dr. Goldenberg worked at SPAR Aerospace Ltd. in Toronto from 1975 to 1981, contributing to the development of the first Space Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (Canadarm). In 1982, he founded Engineering Services Inc. (ESI), a high-technology company specializing in robotics-based automation and technology. Under his leadership, ESI achieved substantial growth and became a global leader in various industrial sectors. Dr. Goldenberg also served as the President of Virtek Engineering Science Inc. (VESI) from 2000 to 2001, a high-technology company formed through the acquisition of part of ESI by Virtek Vision International Ltd., a publicly listed company.
Additionally, Dr. Goldenberg is the President of ANVIV Mechatronics Inc. (AMI), a high-technology company he founded in 2006, which focuses on the development of mechatronics products. In May 2015, ESI was acquired by a Chinese consortium in Shenzhen, P.R. China, and Dr. Goldenberg continued as the President until the consortium became a publicly listed company in Hong Kong in November 2016. Subsequently, he assumed the role of Chief Technology Officer, which he held until May 12, 2019.
As of May 2019, Dr. Goldenberg has returned to the University on a part-time basis to engage in graduate research on the application of Artificial Intelligence in advanced Robotics, with a particular emphasis on Personal Service Robots. Concurrently, he remains actively involved in various business ventures within this domain through ANVIV Mechatronics Inc., the company he established in 2006.
Dr. Goldenberg holds esteemed titles, including Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE), Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC), Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE), and Fellow of The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He is also a Member of the Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEng) and a Designated Consulting Engineer in Ontario. In recognition of his accomplishments, he received the 2010 PEO Engineering Medal for Entrepreneurship, the 2013 EIC Sir John Kennedy Medal for Outstanding Merit in the Engineering Profession, the 2016 IEEE Canada A.G.L. McNaughton Gold Medal for Exemplary Contributions to the Engineering Profession, and an Honorary Ph.D. from the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology in 2018.
Dr. Goldenberg's editorial contributions include serving as the former editor of the archival international journal IEEE Transactions on Robotics and Automation, and membership on the editorial boards of various esteemed journals, including Robotica, Robotics in Japan, Journal of Robotics, Robotics Journal, Scientific World Journal, Industrial Engineering and Management Journal, SOJ Robotics and Automation, International Journal of Automation and Computing, and others. Dr. Goldenberg earned his Ph.D. in 1976 from the University of Toronto, and his M.Sc. and B.Sc. degrees from the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, in 1969 and 1972, respectively. Born in Bucharest, Romania, Dr. Goldenberg's remarkable career spans academia, industry, and entrepreneurship, making him a distinguished figure in the field of robotics and engineering.