Dr. Shahram Tafazoli's photo

Shahram Tafazoli
PhD '97

Shahram Tafazoli was born in 1967 in small city of Maragheh in Azarbayejan province of Iran. He received his Bachelor and Master’s degrees with honors in Electrical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, in 1988 and 1991, respectively. He immigrated to Canada in 1992 to pursue a PhD degree in UBC’s Electrical and Computer Department under supervision of professors Peter Lawrence and Clarence de Silva. Shahram received the University Graduate Award (UGF) during his doctorate studies in UBC. After receiving the PhD degree in 1997, he started a one-man technology consulting company based in UBC. This consulting company has since evolved to Motion Metrics International Corp. The company today has more than 60 full-time employees and specializes in design, development, and commercialization of artificial intelligence-based machine vision and sensor-based solutions for tough mining challenges. The company crossed $10M in revenue in 2017 and continues to grow with offices in Chile, Africa, and soon Australia. Motion Metrics was a finalist for BC Export Award in the Innovation and Advanced Technology category in 2017 with 95% of its revenue coming from export of its MADE-IN-BC products. Shahram holds an adjunct professorship position with UBC’s Electrical and Computer Engineering and has offered courses in robotics, control systems, and digital signal processing. He is an associate member of the Creative Destruction Lab West (CDL-West) and an angle investor with investments in early stage BC-based and other Canadian technology ventures. He has co-authored many patents with other Motion Metrics engineers, majority of whom are UBC alumni. In the early years, Motion Metrics benefited from such Canadian government funding as Precarn, NRC IRAP, and BCIC. Motion Metrics sponsors several graduate scholarships in various applied sciences departments and events at UBC. The company has ambitious plans on autonomous and space mining in the coming years. Motion Metrics also offers enticing co-op opportunities. Shahram lives with his wife and three sons in Vancouver and enjoys mountain biking in University endowment lands. 

UBC is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm people (Musqueam; which means 'People of the River Grass') and Syilx Okanagan Nation. The land has always been a place of learning for the Musqueam and Syilx peoples, who for millennia have passed on their culture, history, and traditions from one generation to the next.

UBC Crest The official logo of the University of British Columbia. Arrow An arrow indicating direction. Arrow in Circle An arrow indicating direction. Caret An arrowhead indicating direction. E-commerce Cart A shopping cart. Time A clock. Chats Two speech clouds. Facebook The logo for the Facebook social media service. Social Media The globe is the default icon for a social media platform. TikTok The logo for the TikTok social media platform. Calendar Location Home A house in silhouette. Information The letter 'i' in a circle. Instagram The logo for the Instagram social media service. Linkedin The logo for the LinkedIn social media service. Location Pin A map location pin. Mail An envelope. Telephone An antique telephone. Play A media play button. Search A magnifying glass. Arrow indicating share action A directional arrow. Speech Bubble A speech bubble. Star An outline of a star. Twitter The logo for the Twitter social media service. Urgent Message An exclamation mark in a speech bubble. User A silhouette of a person. Vimeo The logo for the Vimeo video sharing service. Youtube The logo for the YouTube video sharing service. Future of work A logo for the Future of Work category. Inclusive leadership A logo for the Inclusive leadership category. Planetary health A logo for the Planetary health category. Solutions for people A logo for the Solutions for people category. Thriving cities A logo for the Thriving cities category. University for future A logo for the University for future category.