Dr. Ferworn is a Professor of Computer Science in the Faculty of Science at Ryerson University. Alex earned his PhD from the U of Waterloo, his MSc from the U of Guelph and his B. Tech from Ryerson. Previous experiences include working extensively within telecommunications and finance industries as well as serving as an infantry officer in the Canadian Forces Reserve.

He is the Graduate Program Director of Ryerson’s Master of Digital Media program as well as the Director of the Network-Centric Applied Research Team (N-CART) lab.

Curious, he seeks out collaboration with individuals in fields as widely diverse as archaeology, law enforcement, physics, fire protection, social work, psychology and fashion.

Alex has a broad range of research interests which inevitably have something to do with sensing and decision support using dogs (yes, dogs) and/or robots working in disasters or emergency situations. Having worked extensively with Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams in Canada and the United States, he seeks to address the needs of emergency First Responders and managers working in difficult environments. More recently, he has worked with the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and high yield Explosives (CBRNE) teams within several police services to explore the use of serious games for training and operational purposes.

His award-winning work has been widely publicized in the media. In 2013 he was named the EURAXESS Canadian “Science Slam” champion for his ability to communicate complex ideas to a general audience in compelling ways. “Partners In Research” named him their Canadian “Technology Ambassador” of 2014 for his body of work and his outreach activities. In 2019 his innovative work in finding lost and wandering patients with dementia was featured at the CRAM Learning Festival.

AGE-WELL Funded Projects

• Technologies for assessment and management of wayfinding risks for persons living with dementia in their communities (AWCRP-2020-08)