Ridha Ben-Mrad, P.Eng., FCSME, Director of the Mechatronics and Microsystems Group and a Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto. He joined the University of Toronto in 1997, having previously held positions at the National Research Council of Canada in Vancouver, BC, and the Ford Research Laboratory in Dearborn, Michigan. R. Ben-Mrad received a PHD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 1994. R. Ben-Mrad’s research interests are micro-actuators and sensors, MEMS, microfabrication, and development of smart materials based devices. He published more than 160 refereed publications and has more than 12 US, European, and Canadian patents. He received the Faculty Early Career Teaching Award in 2002 and the Connaught Innovation Award in 2013 and in 2014. R. Ben-Mrad chairs the IEEE IES Committee on MEMS and Nanotechnology (2015-2016), is Associate Editor of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Tech News (2013-current), and serves on the Steering Committee of the IEEE Journal on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (2010-current). He was a Technical Editor of the IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics (2010-2014) and a guest editor of the IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics (2010-2012).