A Professor of Engineering at the University of Strathclyde has received an award in recognition of his 40 years of service to the world’s largest technical professional organisation.
Professor Tariq Durrani OBE has been named the 2024 recipient of the IEEE Haraden Pratt Award, which is awarded for outstanding volunteer service to the organisation.
His citation commends him for “sustained leadership and outstanding contributions to the IEEE in education, technical activities, awards, and global connections.”
Professor Durrani, an IEEE Life Fellow, is only the second UK-based academic to receive the award in its 52-year history, and the first for 21 years. He received the award at the IEEE Honours ceremony, which was held in Boston and streamed online.
Professor Durrani said:
I am pleased and honoured to receive an award which reflects my commitment to the enhancement of professional practice in engineering and the recruitment of new practitioners. I have achieved both of these through my work with IEEE and the University of Strathclyde.
“IEEE has also been highly influential in engineering, in approaches to dealing with climate change and its development of new, cleaner technologies. I have played a part in directing this urgent response and it is very gratifying to have this recognised.”
Professor Durrani’s research covers communications, signal processing, artificial intelligence and technology management. He has authored more than 400 publications and supervised 45 PhDs during his career and was Deputy Principal of Strathclyde from 2000 to 2006.
Professor Durrani has held a range of posts with IEEE, including: President of the IEEE Signal Processing Society; President of the Engineering Management Society; EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) regional director for the IEEE Communications Society and Vice-President for the IEEE Educational Activities Board, and IEEE Board Director. In 2023, he chaired the IEEE Coordinating Committee on Climate Change, after leading the organisation’s delegation at COP 26, which was held in Glasgow in 2021.
Professor Durrani was instrumental in establishing two IEEE Medals: the IEEE Jack Kilby Signal Processing Medal and the IEEE James Clerk Maxwell Medal. In partnership with the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He is a Fellow and past vice-president (International) of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and has been a member of its International Committee (2019-2022). He is a member of the Research Committee (2022-) of the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng).
In 2019, UNESCO appointed Professor Durrani as co-chair of the Advisory Board for its report, Engineering the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Current and future trends in engineering around the world. He has been a director of: the UK Leadership Foundation for Higher Education; Glasgow Chamber of Commerce; the Scottish Funding Council and the UK National Commission for UNESCO.
He is a Fellow of RAEng, the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the World Academy of Sciences, and an International Member of the US National Academy of Engineering and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 2003, he was named an OBE for services to higher education and electronics research.
The IEEE Haraden Pratt Award was introduced in 1972, in memory of Haraden Pratt (1892-1969), who served on IEEE’s Board of Directors for more than 30 years, with terms as president, director and secretary.
The awards ceremony also saw the presentation of the 2024 IEEE Joseph F. Keithley Award in Instrumentation and Measurement to Professor Deepak G Uttamchandani, Head of Strathclyde’s Centre for Microsystems and Photonics. This award was previously announced in 2023.