Ansys Congratulates Zoltan Cendes on Election to the National Academy of Engineering

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Former Ansys Chief Technology Officer and the founder of Ansoft Corporation, Zoltan Cendes, was elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) for his pioneering work in the theory, development and commercialization of electromagnetics simulation software. His efforts in this space led to the development of Ansys HFSS, the industry-leading software for designing and simulating high-frequency electronic products.

Election to the NAE is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding engineering contributions, pioneered new and developing fields of technology and made major advancements in traditional fields of engineering. 

From 1996 to 2008, Cendes served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Technology Officer at Ansoft Corporation, which he founded in 1984. Ansoft was acquired by Ansys in 2008. Prior to these roles, he was a professor of electrical engineering at McGill University and Carnegie Mellon University. Throughout his career, Cendes made significant developments in the area of finite element modeling of electromagnetic devices.

He was instrumental in the development of new types of finite elements, called edge elements, that eliminate the problem of spurious modes. This invention led to Ansys HFSS, a first-of-its-kind simulator for any shape and any material. Used by engineers worldwide, Ansys HFSS is the preeminent software for designing and simulating high-frequency electronic products such as antennas, antenna arrays, RF or microwave components, high-speed interconnects, filters, connectors, IC packages and printed circuit boards.

Cendes also introduced the Delaunay mesh generation algorithm and adaptive mesh refinement procedures to finite element analysis, along with the transfinite element method and model order reduction procedures to high-frequency electromagnetics.

"Election to the NAE is a prestigious honor, and I am proud to join this esteemed group of engineers," said Zoltan Cendes, former CTO, electronics business, Ansys. "My election recognizes the work my colleagues at Ansys and I accomplished in electromagnetic numerical methods that led to the creation and success of Ansys HFSS, a simulator that revolutionized design in microwave circuits, communications electronics, and antennas."

In addition to his election to the NAE, Cendes is a life fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), having received the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society (IEEE AP-S) Distinguished Achievement Award in 2008 and the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques (IEEE MTT-S) Microwave Application Award in 2012. He has also served on the editorial board of IEEE Spectrum, on the International Steering Committee of the COMPUMAG Conference, and as an IEEE AP-S Distinguished Lecturer. 

"Ansys is proud to congratulate Zoltan Cendes on his recognition from the NAE, which is a testament to his incredible efforts and accomplishments throughout his career," said Shane Emswiler, senior vice president, Ansys. "His work was instrumental in the creation and success of Ansys HFSS, alongside many other inventions that have advanced the modeling of electromagnetic devices that continue to have a lasting impact on today's innovative electronic devices." 

Cendes, along with 127 other new members, will be inducted during a ceremony at the NAE's annual meeting on October 3, 2021.