October 10, 2012
Karim Abdel-Malek, CCAD director and professor of biomedical engineering, was one of six University of Iowa faculty members to receive the 2012 Regents Award for Faculty Excellence. Given by the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, the award honors faculty members for work representing a significant contribution to excellence in public education.
Abdel-Malek is a nationally and internationally recognized leader in the field of digital human modeling and simulation. He founded and directs the Virtual Soldier Research (VSR) program, which conducts research on high-fidelity biomechanical simulation to address problems in human factors. The multi-million-dollar VSR program has produced the digital human model SANTOS, which is now being used by all branches of the U.S. military and by many industry partners such as Caterpillar, Deere, Ford, P&G, and Rockwell Collins. The VSR team has received international attention and continues to expand into applications in sports, medicine, and manufacturing. Abdel-Malek serves as director of the Center for Computer-Aided Design (CCAD), overseeing six major research programs, 12 laboratories, and the National Advanced Driving Simulator. During his tenure as director, CCAD has grown from 27 researchers to 150. He serves as the elected president of the International Society for Human Simulation, and is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.
