Abdulmotaleb El Saddik is a Distinguished University Professor and University Research Chair at the University of Ottawa. He earned international reputation in the multimedia communications area, and, in particular, in the field of haptic, audio, and video multimedia collaborative protocols and their applications. El Saddik's pioneering work on haptics based identification led to the development of innovative technologies to enhance the authenticity of users and their performance in haptic surroundings in collaborative multimedia environments. He is a highly regarded member of the international scientific community, actively involved in the organization of many ACM and IEEE international events and Editorial Boards.