GR ADUATE STUDIES PROFILES
Basel Nabulsi PhD, Electrical and Computer Engineering Basel Nabulsi, PhD’13, grew up in Kuwait, studied in Jordan,
“Queen’s and Kingston offer a nice balance for school and life,”
France, Brussels, and Kingston, and, at age 31, landed his
he says.
dream job in Kanata, Ontario. He’s among the growing number of PhD graduates who have chosen a career in industry rather than in academia after they’ve graduated. An employee of Cortina, a leading provider of high-performance semi-conductor solutions, Basel explores his passion for highspeed communication design on a daily basis in a stimulating environment that more than adequately satisfies the “geek” in him. “I love solving problems,” he says. “I love how engineering helps me do that.” Although Basel’s background is cosmopolitan—his parents
6
His research at Queen’s involved a mix of signal processing and information theory for wireless communications. He also taught undergraduates (see story, page 13)—particularly those in the APSC 100 Introduction to Robotics course—and karate to young children. “I find myself learning from students as much as I teach them,” says Basel. “The enthusiasm of first-year students who are all eager to learn gives me so much joy and pleasure. They take pride in being engineers, and they should!” While he ultimately chose a career in industry, it’s clear that the classroom is still important to him.
hail from two different countries, and he had offers to study in
“I love teaching,” he says. “But at this time in my life, I want to be
London, England, and in Barcelona, Spain—he opted to do his
part of an exciting industry where I can be innovative and maybe
PhD at Queen’s, in comparatively low-key Kingston.
make a name for myself.”
THE COMPLETE ENGINEER