Laeeque Daneshmend

Noranda-Falconbridge Chair in Mine-Mechanical Engineering, Queen's University

Laeeque Daneshmend holds the Noranda-Falconbridge Chair in Mine-Mechanical Engineering at Queen’s University. Complementing his academic career, he co-founded Aquila Mining Systems Ltd. – a pioneer in the development of intelligent systems for blasthole drills and cable shovels used in open-pit mining; Caterpillar Inc. eventually acquired Aquila.

Building on his three decades of experience in the effective application of advanced technologies for automation, robotics, intelligent systems, and digital transformation in the mining industry, Laeeque provides consulting services to a broad array of clients. He was a founding member of the McGill Centre for Intelligent Machines, and has worked on manufacturing automation as well as broader applications of robotics and artificial intelligence.

Space robotics was the focus of much of his early career, including research contracts with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA), MD-Robotics, as well as the Canadian Space Agency. Laeeque holds a bachelor’s (honours) in electronic engineering from Southampton University, England, and a PhD and D.I.C. in mechanical engineering, with specialization in robotics and automation, from Imperial College, London, England.