When her son, Aly Orady returned to McMaster University to receive an honorary doctorate in June 2025, it marked a full-circle moment for Soraya Orady. Decades earlier, she was studying at McMaster – one of only a few women in Electrical Engineering – and spent formative years pioneering satellite communications and GPS research.
Orady’s journey began in Egypt, where she lived with her husband Elsayed and taught at the College of Engineering in Cairo. As they explored opportunities abroad, a recommendation from academic connections at Cairo University guided them to McMaster University in January 1976. It was the start of a path that would shape Soraya’s career, her family and the field of electrical engineering.
From the moment Soraya arrived at McMaster, she immersed herself in research. Between 1976 and 1978, while pregnant with twins Aly and Mona, she completed her Master’s in Electrical Engineering. Her husband, who passed away in 2018, also completed a Master’s and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from McMaster. Her work in satellite communications and GPS optimization laid the foundation for technologies that would later assist aviation traffic control and search-and-rescue operations.
In an era when computing meant stacks of punch cards and hours of simulation, she combined patience with ingenuity. “My work was very hands-on,” she recalls, “building circuits, attaching wires, and testing everything step by step.” Her contributions helped advance satellite positioning accuracy at a time when few women were involved in engineering research.
After completing her PhD in 1981, Soraya moved to Ottawa to begin her career with Northern Telecom and later joined Bell Canada, all while raising her young twins and supporting Elsayed as he completed his studies in Hamilton. The family then spent a couple of years in Saudi Arabia, where Soraya taught mathematics at Riyadh University, before moving to the United States in 1986 when they received green cards.
She combined teaching with consulting at the University of Michigan, founding SE Consulting to serve clients including Bell and Nortel. Her work focused on digital switches and network simulation, and she further strengthened her expertise through coursework at Indiana University.
Throughout these years, Soraya balanced professional growth with family life. She homeschooled her children, and summers were spent in Cairo, where she ran a business installing Ethernet cabling. Her son, Aly, lent a hand as a young helper.
By the early age of 15, both Aly and his sister Mona studied at McMaster and graduated at 19. Decades later after becoming a Silicon Valley innovator, Aly returned to receive his honorary degree in 2025 — a milestone that reflected both his achievement and the legacy his mother helped build.
Soraya’s influence extends beyond engineering. Following the events of 9/11, she founded the Islamic Education and Resources Network, a nonprofit dedicated to educating the public about Islam and fostering understanding across communities.
“I hope my legacy reflects generosity, kindness, honesty, and a commitment to my Muslim faith and helping others better understand it.”
In every role she has undertaken — whether in classrooms, corporate networks or nonprofit organizations — she has sought to create systems that improve lives, encourage learning and promote understanding.
Today, Soraya is a proud grandmother of two boys, ages four and six. She continues to reflect on the early days of her career, preserving a collection of computer punch cards from her graduate studies — tangible reminders of her contributions to the nascent days of satellite communications research.
Read more about the Orady family.
