Data and Time Tues, March 24 , 2015, 3:00 - 4:00 PM
Location SF B650
Host Hans-Dieter Lang

Reflections on Professional Development and What's Next in Your Career

Prof. Sean V. Hum

The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (EM Group), University of Toronto

Abstract:

Having recently returned from research leave abroad, I will take this opportunity to depart from the usual technical seminars and provide a more reflective talk on professional development.  My goal is to convey a range of ideas for growing professionally regardless of your stage in your graduate career.  The first half of the talk will focus on preparing for careers in academia, and provide useful information for aspiring professors.  I will cover the ins and outs of applying for academic jobs, building a compelling research portfolio, and managing academic life.  In the second half, I will provide an outlook on working in industry, sharing experiences gained working at ESA-ESTEC on challenging real-world antenna problems.  Drawing inspiration of these problems, I will try to paint a picture of what kinds of skills and traits are needed by engineers working on challenging industry EM problems in the 21st century.  Finally, I will close with some personal perspectives on readying yourself for the future.


 

Biography:

Sean Victor Hum was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.  He received his B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Calgary in 1999, 2001, and 2006 respectively.  From 1997-2006 he also worked with TRLabs on a variety of projects in wireless and radio-over-fibre applications. In 2006 he joined the Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto where he currently serves as an associate professor.  In 2014 he was a visiting scientist with the European Space Agency at ESTEC (the European Space Research and Technology Center), in Noordwijk, The Netherlands, and later a visiting professor at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM).  Prof. Hum leads the reconfigurable antenna laboratory at the UofT, and along with his students, he is conducting research in the areas of reconfigurable antennas, antenna arrays, and antennas for space applications.