Prof. Farouk Smith | Automotive Industry | Distinguished Scientist Award
Prof. Farouk Smith | Professor of Mechatronics Engineering | Nelson Mandela University | South Africa
Academic Background
Farouk Smith has completed advanced qualifications in physics, electrical engineering, and electronic engineering, culminating in doctoral research in electronic engineering. His academic journey spans foundational studies in physics and engineering followed by master’s and doctoral work focused on wireless networks and radiation mitigation in satellite electronics. His research output is reflected in global indexing platforms. On Scopus, his work has accumulated more than 102 citations across close to one 24 documents, with an h-index of 5. His Google Scholar profile shows nearly 197 citations with an h-index of 7 and an i10-index of 6, reflecting consistent scholarly engagement and impact across multiple domains.
Research Focus
His research concentrates on reconfigurable computing, field-programmable gate arrays, space radiation effects on electronics, and mitigation techniques for hardware faults. He has also collaborated on interdisciplinary projects involving biomedical engineering and precision manufacturing.
Work Experience
Farouk Smith has served in senior academic and leadership roles within higher education, including professorial appointments, headship of academic departments, and directorship of an engineering school. His professional journey also includes significant experience in telecommunications engineering and applied research at major national organizations. He has undertaken responsibilities in teaching a broad range of engineering subjects, supervising postgraduate research, managing budgets, guiding departmental strategy, and contributing to institutional development.
Key Contributions
His contributions include pioneering mitigation strategies for radiation effects in FPGA-based systems, development of reconfigurable computing techniques, and collaborative research at the interface of biomedical devices and electronic engineering. His work has also extended to innovation in telecommunications and adaptive circuitry solutions for reliability in harsh environments.
Awards and Recognition
He has received institutional and national recognition for research excellence, innovation, and emerging leadership in engineering. His contributions have earned competitive research ratings and honours for impactful academic performance and technology development.
Professional Roles and Memberships
He is registered as a professional engineer with the national engineering council and holds senior membership in a leading global engineering institute. He has contributed as a reviewer for multiple journals and has served as a guest editor for a special issue in precision manufacturing.
Profile
Scopus | ORCID | Google Scholar
Featured Publications
Smith, F., & Mostert, S. (2007). Total ionizing dose mitigation by means of reconfigurable FPGA computing. IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, 54, 1343–1349.
Hatefi, S., Smith, F., Abou-El-Hossein, K., & Alizargar, J. (2020). COVID-19 in South Africa: Lockdown strategy and its effects on public health and other contagious diseases. Public Health, 185, 159.
Smith, F. (2013). A new methodology for single event transient suppression in flash FPGAs. Microprocessors and Microsystems, 37, 313–318.
Smith, F. (2012). Single event upset mitigation by means of a sequential circuit state freeze. Microelectronics Reliability, 52, 1233–1240.
Smith, F. (2015). Method and circuit structure for suppressing single event transients or glitches in digital electronic circuits. US Patent 8,975,913.
Impact Statement / Vision
Farouk Smith’s work advances the resilience and reliability of electronic systems used in aerospace, communications, and precision devices. He aims to bridge academic research with practical engineering solutions that strengthen industry readiness and technological innovation. His vision encompasses mentorship, collaboration, and interdisciplinary development to address future challenges in electronics and computing.