Past Winner
2013 NSERC Synergy Awards for Innovation

Dr. John McPhee

University of Waterloo, Maplesoft and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada

Category 3: Two or More Companies

Dr. John McPhee

University Partnership Gives Two Companies a Competitive Edge

The University of Waterloo (UW), Maplesoft and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC) have achieved together what would have been far more difficult—if not impossible—to do on their own.

The winners of a 2013 NSERC Synergy Award for Innovation were recognized for their success in designing automotive systems and model-based controllers that improve vehicle safety and comfort while reducing fuel consumption and emissions.

Dr. John McPhee, Professor and NSERC/Toyota/Maplesoft Industrial Research Chair in Mathematics-based Modelling and Design at the University of Waterloo (UW), and his research team developed the core technology behind Maplesoft’s MapleSim software, which they used to develop new model-based designs and controllers for automotive systems. Dr. McPhee is one of Canada’s leading experts in modelling, simulation and optimal design of dynamic physical systems.

Maplesoft is one of UW’s greatest success stories. It was spun off from UW in 1988 with core technology from a project in symbolic computing. Its 20-year collaboration with the university has helped transform the company from a supplier of software designed solely for mathematical education and research to a world-leading provider of advanced engineering analysis tools and services for nearly every technical field.

As an end user of the technology, TMMC and the Toyota Technical Center (in Ann Arbor, Michigan) bring crucial technical support, experimental assistance and industry expertise to the collaboration, which has resulted in shorter design cycles, less expensive testing and improved product quality.

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