From Tehran to Toronto to Winnipeg

Lot Shafai's story begins in Iran, where he earned his first degree in electrical engineering at the University of Tehran. In the early 1960s, he set out to continue his studies abroad. He spent time in England learning English, and in 1964 he arrived in Canada to begin graduate work at the University of Toronto.

He earned his Master's degree there in 1966 and his Ph.D. in 1969. That same year, at just 28 years old, he accepted a teaching position at the University of Manitoba — and Winnipeg became home.

When Lot arrived in Winnipeg in 1969, the city's entire Iranian community consisted of just two other people.

Lot never set out to change that — he was busy with his research and teaching — but as his reputation grew, friends and family back home began writing to ask what Canada was like. He answered them honestly, and many came. Over the decades, a vibrant Iranian-Canadian community grew in Winnipeg and beyond, and Lot is often credited, quietly and without fanfare, as the root of it.

A life's work at the University of Manitoba

Lot rose quickly through the academic ranks — from Lecturer, to Assistant Professor, to Associate Professor, to full Professor by 1979. In 2001 he was named a Distinguished Professor, one of the highest academic titles the university offers. From 2002 to 2016 he held a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Applied Electromagnetics — a prestigious federal appointment reserved for world-leading researchers.

Though he officially retired in 2016, he has remained with the University of Manitoba as Distinguished Professor Emeritus. He still comes to the lab, still mentors students, and still publishes new research — these days without a paycheque. As he has put it in his own words, he was paid by universities for many years, so now he's simply returning the favour.

Family and community

Lot's love of engineering has run in the family. His son Cyrus is also an engineering professor at the University of Manitoba. His daughter Leili also received her doctorate as an electrical engineer. Lot has trained dozens of graduate students over the decades, many of whom have gone on to become professors, industry leaders, and researchers — some at the Canadian Space Agency, others at universities around the world.

He is known among colleagues not just for his brilliance but for his warmth, his humility, and his unwavering commitment to helping young scientists succeed — especially women, who are under-represented in engineering, and newcomers to Canada.