Rector receives recognition from Purdue University

Jón Atli Benediktsson, Rector of the University of Iceland, recently received the 2016 Electrical & Computer Engineering Awards from the Purdue School of Electrical & Computer Engineering in Indiana, United States. The awards are given to recognise the achievements of a member of Purdue alumni.

The Outstanding Electrical and Computer Engineering (OECE) Award are given annually to a former student in electrical and computer engineering that has made a mark in the field on the international scene. 

Jón Atli began his studies at Purdue University in 1985 and completed his doctorate in electrical engineering in 1990. He consequently began working as an assistant professor in the Faculty of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Iceland, later to become associate professor and finally a professor in 1996. He took office as rector of the University of Iceland on 1 July 2015.

Jón Atli has been very productive in research and is an author of over 300 scientific articles and book chapters in the field of electrical and computer engineering.  His works are widely cited and he has been awarded various acknowledgements, both international and domestic. He is a Fellow of IEEE (2004) and of SPIE (2013). He received the Stevan J. Kristof Award (1990), the Young Researcher Award from the Icelandic Research Council (1997), the IEEE Millenium Medal (2000) as well as recognition for various scientific articles.  Jón Atli has furthermore been active in innovation, he was one of the entrepreneurs in Oxymap, a novel technology for the assessment of retinal metabolism and structure, and holds three patents.

Jón Atli travelled to Lafayette Indiana to receive the awards at Purdue University. The Purdue School of Electrical & Computer Engineering is considered among the 10 best in the field in the United States, graduating the highest number of engineers in the country each year.