Wednesday, August 26, 2026

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• Waterloo and Airbus chart new course
• Ontario Energy Board innovates co-op hiring through Energython competition
• Breakthrough battery-free sensor has the potential for a direct satellite uplink

Waterloo and Airbus chart new course 

This is an excerpt from an article that was originally on Waterloo News.

By: Katie McQuaid, Faculty of Science

The University of Waterloo and Airbus have formalized a new research partnership that establishes a long-term framework for collaboration in sustainable aviation, advanced materials, digital systems, and emerging aerospace technologies.

Coordinated through the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA) and connected to the Future in Motion (FIM) Network, the agreement creates a strategic framework linking Waterloo researchers and students with real-world industry challenges and marks a significant milestone in a growing relationship between Waterloo and Airbus.

The agreement builds on a collaboration launched in 2021 between WISA and Airbus’s Waterloo-based digital aviation team, now operating as Skywise, an Airbus digital services company born from the merger of Navblue and Skywise digital solutions. Located on Waterloo’s North Campus, the operation traces its roots to Navtech, a startup that emerged through Waterloo’s innovation and talent ecosystem.

Waterloo’s distinctive strength is its ability to connect aviation and aerospace with the technologies reshaping their future—from clean energy, advanced materials and electrification to artificial intelligence, quantum, cybersecurity, autonomous systems and human-machine collaboration.

“Waterloo researchers are already investigating the questions that will transform aerospace,” says Suzanne Kearns, Associate Professor and Executive Director, Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics. “Airbus brings deep industry expertise, while Waterloo offers a research network that can connect aviation and aerospace to emerging technologies and complex global challenges. Together, we can move promising ideas closer to real-world impact.”

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Ontario Energy Board innovates co-op hiring through Energython competition

This is an excerpt from an article that was originally on the Waterloo Hire website.

By: Emily Totzke

A new competition-based approach helps the Ontario Energy Board identify emerging talent in new, innovative way that focuses on impact.

When the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) launched its first Energython earlier this year, their goal was to raise awareness of Ontario’s energy regulator and evolve how the organization attracts early-career talent.

In the two-week case competition, graduate students from select universities addressed a real-world energy policy challenge. The competition format allowed the OEB to assess the impact, collaboration and depth of thinking of the students who participated.

The OEB initially planned on offering the winning team co-op positions in the following term. However, the OEB was so impressed with the depth of research completed by the University of Waterloo team, they offered each member a co-op position, even though the team came in second place. The offer reflects the OEB’s commitment to innovative, skills-based hiring and long-term talent development.

“Energy talent isn’t born, it’s created,” says Lenore Robson, Vice President, People, Communications Strategy, Ontario Energy Board. “By moving beyond traditional recruitment practices, we create a more intuitive path to engage directly with students and, in doing so, build a student pipeline to develop the next generation of energy leaders.”

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Breakthrough battery-free sensor has the potential for a direct satellite uplink

This is an excerpt from an article that was originally on Waterloo News.

By: Amy Carroll-Dee, Office of Research

University of Waterloo researchers have developed a fully battery-free, hydro-powered sensor that can transmit alerts over long distances and potentially connect directly to a satellite uplink without any local gateways or battery power. The breakthrough could significantly expand the reach and sustainability of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, particularly in remote or infrastructure-poor environments. 

Led by Dr. George Shaker, Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Dr. Norman Zhou, Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, the research demonstrates how ultra-low power sensors can use existing 5G and emerging satellite-enabled networks to send critical information only when activated by their environment. The work is conducted together with student researchers and supported by Rogers Communications, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and MITACS. 

The study highlights Waterloo’s role as a hub where academic research and industry collaboration converge to address real-world challenges and demonstrates the University’s ability to design technologies ready for deployment at scale. 

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