Canon's research arm appoints new MD

CiSRA, the Australian research and development centre for Canon, has appointed Keiji Ishizuka as the new managing director.

Ishizuka, former senior general manager of the SOC Design Centre at Canon Inc, was formally appointed to the role in May. He is a long-time employee of Canon, having joined the company in Japan in 1984, and has deep experience in the field of research and product development.

In his most recent role in Canon, Ishizuka was responsible for five general managers and led a team of over 190 employees.

Ishizuka came to Australia for two years in the late 1990s where he worked as a hardware engineer on the STAR AISC development project and was instrumental in the development of the JPEG modules as a function of integrated circuits before returning to Canon in Japan. This resulted in JPEG technology being taken to Japan where it was used in inkjet printers and multifunctional devices.

“We have great confidence in the skills and expertise of our Australian researchers and we will endeavour to continue to nurture young Australian engineers through our internship and scholarship programs,” continued Ishizuka.

CiSRA currently offers internships to Australian engineering students each year. It also offers postgraduate scholarship prizes for outstanding research efforts and student achievement. These prizes are in the fields of computer science, electrical engineering and the physical sciences. CiSRA prizes are offered at several leading Australian research universities including the University of New South Wales, the University of Sydney, the University of Melbourne and the University of Queensland.