News

New collaboration will allow quantum researchers to study effects of solar radiation on quantum computing

A new collaboration between researchers from the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) at the University of Waterloo, SNOLAB near Sudbury, Ontario, and Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden has been awarded a new grant to investigate the impact of radiation and cosmic rays on quantum technologies.

This grant, “Advanced Characterization and Mitigation of Qubit Decoherence in a Deep Underground Environment,” sponsored by the Army Research Office, a directorate of the U.S Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory, has been awarded to Dr. Chris Wilson, a faculty member at IQC and professor in Waterloo’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, alongside Dr. Jeter Hall, Director of Research at SNOLAB and adjunct professor at Laurentian University, and Dr. Per Delsing, professor at Chalmers University of Technology and director of the Wallenberg Center for Quantum Technology.

Researchers track the personalities of social robots to improve how they interact with humans

An interdisciplinary research team from the University of Waterloo's Social and Intelligent Robotics Research Lab (SIRRL) has found that people prefer interacting with robots they perceive to have social identities like their own.

This finding was made by a pair of Waterloo professors: Dr. Moojan Ghafurian, based in the Department of Systems Design Engineering and Dr. Kerstin Dautenhahn, from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, who worked together to conduct new research on human interactions with social robots. These robots possess social abilities and can interact with humans in interpersonal and social manners.

Electrical and computer engineering professor, Xuemin (Sherman) Shen, has been elected an International Fellow of The Engineering Academy of Japan (EAJ). The EAJ is composed of leading experts from academia, industry, and government institutions who possess a wide range of knowledge and have made outstanding contributions in engineering and technological sciences, and closely related fields.
 

A research team from the University of Waterloo is using radar technology to monitor people’s health while at the wheel, turning the ordinary car or truck into a mobile, medical hub.

Dr. George Shaker, an adjunct professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo, and Ali Gharamohammadi, the lead PhD student on the project, have integrated radar with evolving vehicle technology to make health checks easier—without the need for any type of wearable.

The radar, smaller than a USB thumb drive, is integrated into the vehicle cabin and sends out signals that detect human vibrations, which are then sent back to the radar. The technology can detect tiny movements like the rise and fall of a chest from breathing or heartbeats. 

Electrical and computer engineering professor, Amir-Hossein Karimi is the recipient of this term's Igor Ivkovic Teaching Excellence Award for his commitment and dedication to teaching the course ECE 457B.

Each term the Engineering Society welcomes nominations from students to recognize lecturers, professors, or laboratory instructors from the Faculty of Engineering who exemplify the spirit of Professor Igor Ivkovic’s teaching, through employing non-conventional teaching techniques, allowing opportunities for experiential learning, and showing a commitment and dedication towards ensuring the academic success of students. 

Dr. Mahla Poudineh, assistant professor and director of the IDEATION Lab in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is one of five researchers to receive funding from the Ontario government.

Each award from government is valued at $100,000, and is matched by an additional $50,000 from the researcher's institution. Dr. Poudineh won the award for her project titled: A new transdermal patch to continuously and without pain track and treat diabetes. Her research will develop a new, low-cost system which is smaller (approximately seven centimetres) and capable of smart insulin sensing and delivery.

Barbara Paldus (BASc ’93 electrical engineering, BMATH ’93) has established the Professor Josef Paldus Engineering Scholarship to advance innovation in biomedical engineering. 

The scholarship's inaugural recipient is Hana Karim, a first-year biomedical engineering student.   

Karim said the  award has given her the financial freedom to look further afield for her co-op placements and “take the leap and go.”  

She hopes to follow the interdisciplinary example set by Paldus in her graduate studies to complete a double major in medicine and law. She also shares a love of music with Paldus and is able to continue practicing piano more seriously while studying thanks to the financial flexibility the scholarship has afforded her. 

Dr. Sebastian Fischmeister, a professor in the Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering, and his team are working to safeguard Canada's economic future by bolstering its critical infrastructure against the threat of cyber attacks.

Their research develops new security controls that shield against potential threats within the energy sector's vital supply chains.

As various industries rely on increasingly complicated global networks, the likelihood of potential vulnerabilities increases. Visibility into supply chain security can wane as systems become more complex, heightening the urgency of these protective measures.

Today, in E7 from 10am to 3pm, the next big breakthrough in Canadian technology could be among the Waterloo Electrical and Computer Engineering student projects on display at the annual Capstone Design symposia at the University of Waterloo. Our students will showcase the projects they have spent months designing and building.

Electrical and computer engineering professor, En-Hui Yang, has been designated "University Professor" by the University of Waterloo's Tenure & Promotion Committee. 

The University of Waterloo owes much of its international reputation and stature to the quality of its eminent professors.  The designation "University Professor" is the way Waterloo recognizes exceptional scholarly achievement and international pre-eminence. Once appointed, a faculty member retains the designation until retirement. Not counting retirees, it is anticipated there will be one University Professor for approximately every 60 full-time regular faculty members, with at most two appointments each year.