The only child of parents who escaped from Nazi-occupied Vienna to Cyprus, from where they were subsequently evacuated along with other Jewish refugees in 1941, Bandler was born in Jerusalem. After the War, his parents returned to Cyprus, where Bandler attended the Junior School in Nicosia, and, for a year, The English School in Nicosia. After a brief stay in Vienna in 1956, he left for England and completed his schooling in London. He entered Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London, in 1960, graduating in 1963 with First Class Honours in Electrical Engineering; and in 1967 with a Ph.D. in Microwaves. In 1976 he received his D.Sc. from the University of London in Microwaves, Computer-aided Design, and Optimization of Circuits and Systems.
Career
He worked as an engineer at Mullard Research Laboratories, Redhill, Surrey, England, from 1966 to 1967. From 1967 to 1969 he was a Postdoctoral Fellow and Sessional Lecturer at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. In 1969, he joined McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada, as Assistant Professor, becoming Associate Professor in 1971, and Professor in 1974. Bandler became Professor Emeritus in 2000. He served as chairman of the Department of Electrical Engineering from 1978 to 1979 and dean of the Faculty of Engineering from 1979 to 1981. At McMaster University he was coordinator of the Group on Simulation, Optimization and Control from 1973 until 1983, when he formed the Simulation Optimization Systems Research Laboratory. In 1983 Bandler founded Optimization Systems Associates Inc., the company was acquired by Hewlett-Packard in 1997. OSA technology became part of HP EEsof, passing on to Agilent Technologies and then to Keysight Technologies. In 2012, a special session at the IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium paid tribute to Bandler on the occasion of his 70th birthday for more than forty-five years of contributions to the field of microwave theory and techniques. In 2013, Bandler reviewed the emergence and history of space mapping in IEEE Canadian Review. It spans two decades of development and engineering applications. In 2018, marking a quarter century since his discovery of space mapping this paper was re-set and reprinted in IEEE Microwave Magazine. In 2016, Rayas-Sanchez reviewed the state of the art of aggressive space mapping, a methodology pioneered by Bandler and his team.
"Human aspects of communication and persuasion: first impressions and subtext", rump session of IEEE MTT-S Int. Microwave Symposium.
"From creativity to success via risk and setback: an insider's perspective", public lecture .
"Explain less, predict more", TEDx McMaster U Conference.
"Effective presentations", professional session: Preparing and Presenting Papers for MTT-S Journals and Conferences, IEEE MTT-S Int. Microwave Symp..
"You, your slides and your posters: allies or foes?", public lecture.
John Bandler and Ana Kovacevic, "Clear, brief, engaging: your thesis in three minutes", public workshop.
J. W. Bandler, E. M. Kiley, and A. Kovacevic, "The art of effectively communicating complex, highly technical work in three minutes", IEEE MTT-S Webinar, March 28, 2017.
J. W. Bandler, M. Ogrodnik, and D. Tajik, "Clear, brief, engaging: your thesis in three minutes", public workshop.
J. W. Bandler, E. M. Kiley, and D. Tajik, "Communicating your highly technical work to non-specialists in three short minutes", IEEE MTT-S Webinar, March 13, 2018.
Plays
"Christmas Eve at the Julibee Motel," Stage Play,.
"59 Minutes in the Maxwell Suite," Stage Play,.
"That The Multitude May Live," Stage Play,.
"The Trial of Naomi Verne," Stage Play,.
"Christmas Eve at the Julibee Motel," Stage Play,.
