Friday October 2, 2026

Previous | Next

• Waterloo releases updated guidance on responsible research assessment

• What does sustainability have to do with your job?

• Environmental solutions we can’t see

• Fall 2026 Quantum Valley Investments® Problem Pitch Competition

Waterloo releases updated guidance on responsible research assessment

A message from the Libraries.

The University of Waterloo has released Measuring Research Outputs with Bibliometrics, an updated position paper that builds on the institution's influential 2016 White Paper on Bibliometrics and Research Impact. Developed through a multi-year collaboration involving the Libraries, Institutional Analysis and Planning, the Office of Research and representatives from all six faculties, the paper provides a contemporary framework for understanding and assessing research impact across disciplines.

The updated resource expands guidance on research assessment in the arts, humanities and social sciences; alternative metrics; equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility and Indigeneity considerations; interdisciplinary research; and knowledge mobilization. It emphasizes that research metrics should be used alongside expert judgment and other evidence to support fair and meaningful evaluation.

The position paper is openly available through UWSpace and offers practical guidance for researchers, academic leaders and libraries at Waterloo and beyond. Learn more about what's new on Library News.

What does sustainability have to do with your job?

A message from the Sustainability Office.

What does sustainability have to do with your job? More than you might think. The new Sustainability Fundamentals: Introduction to Sustainability course explores how sustainability is influencing decisions across the University and provides practical tools, resources, and ideas you can apply in your own work. It's the first in a new series of micro-courses designed to help employees build sustainability knowledge one topic at a time. Learn more and register for Sustainability Fundamentals: Introduction to Sustainability.  

Environmental solutions we can’t see

This article was originally published in Waterloo News. 

The most powerful environmental solutions might come from organisms too small to see. Microbes are everywhere — in soil, water, waste sites and ecosystems, and Waterloo researchers across the Faculty of Science are working to uncover how these tiny organisms can be harnessed as tools to address complex environmental challenges and drive lasting global impact.

Microbes fighting landfill emissions

Methane is 20 times as potent as carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas, but it breaks down much faster in the atmosphere. As a result, reducing methane emissions is an important lever to tackle climate change. 

In the Hug Research Group in the Department of Biology, Dr. Laura Hug’s goal is to address “legacy” methane from older landfilled waste, where research suggests microbial solutions could substantially reduce emissions. The lab aims to fill gaps in existing mitigation approaches and identify areas where conventional tools have been ineffective, and where microbial solutions could make a significant difference. 

“Microbial communities use waste contaminants as energy,” Hug says. “Within these communities live groups of microorganisms performing useful functions, including oxidizing methane that will otherwise be emitted to the atmosphere. We’re also working with organisms that can degrade bioplastics and break down industrial solvents.” 

Hug’s lab has maintained a decade-long collaboration with the Region of Waterloo’s Division of Waste Management to collect samples. The team is using the samples to develop tools to control, degrade or transform contaminants that are pervasive in the environment and have long-term impacts on climate change, human health, and ecosystems. By utilizing these natural processes, the team aims to develop innovative strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from landfills in our community. 

Microbes protecting freshwater systems

Dr. Jozef Nissimov leads the University of Waterloo’s Environmental Virology and Ecology Research Group in the Department of Biology, where his team investigates whether microbial communities help control harmful algal blooms (HABs) or worsen them. 

Scientists have long assumed that viruses that infect bacteria and algae act as natural population control, killing off bloom-forming species and keeping them in check. However, Nissimov’s lab has shown experimentally that when a virus infects and kills the common bloom-forming cyanobacterium, such as Microcystis aeruginosa, it can trigger a spike in the liver toxin microcystin, releasing levels many times higher than safe drinking-water limits, even when the water looks clear again. The lab also investigates the mechanisms that trigger the emergence of virus resistance in this species. Nissimov aims to change how HABs are predicted and managed by revealing blind spots in basic understanding of these host-virus systems and current monitoring practices. 

“We are exploring whether manipulating these virus-algae relationships could someday help manage blooms rather than simply react to them," Nissimov says. “It could turn a naturally occurring microbial process into a deliberate tool for protecting freshwater.”  

Samples are collected from freshwater systems under Waterloo’s collaborative forWater Network and the Water Institute, as well as lakes located in the IISD Experimental Lakes Area. The team then uses photobioreactors and other culturing methods to recreate lake conditions and examine specific virus-host interactions that occur during blooms, in hopes of developing innovative strategies to protect freshwater systems. 

Mine site microbes for remediation

When a mine closes, environmental risks can persist years later. Canada has more than 10,000 abandoned mines that predate current closure and reclamation requirements. Many are still leaching acidic, metal-rich drainage into surrounding land and water. 

In Dr. Jenine McCutcheon’s lab in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, their goal is to encourage natural microbial processes that improve water quality and reduce contamination while suppressing processes that worsen site conditions.  

The research team visits both active and historic mine sites throughout Canada to better understand these microbial processes. The team collects water, rock, and biofilm samples to characterize the microbial communities and how they impact the site’s geology and geochemistry. Samples are also collected at natural sites, such as wetlands, to see how the biogeochemical processes in these systems can help develop mine site remediation strategies. 

“Microbial activity in mine waste can both help and hinder remediation processes,” McCutcheon says. “Some organisms help remove contaminants from the water by storing them in minerals, through a process called biomineralization. Other organisms accelerate the release of contaminants from mine waste, making the problem worse.” 

McCutcheon aims to fully understand the balance between the two to develop solutions that utilize microbial processes for mine waste remediation.

Fall 2026 Quantum Valley Investments® Problem Pitch Competition

A message from Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business, Faculty of Engineering.

Innovation starts with understanding, not solving.

The Problem Lab at the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business is inviting University of Waterloo students to participate in the Fall 2026 Quantum Valley Investments® Problem Pitch Competition.

The competition challenges student teams to research an important real-world problem, examine it from multiple perspectives and pitch their findings to a panel of judges. Rather than starting with a solution, students begin by developing a deep understanding of the problem, its context, the people affected and why existing approaches may not be working.

R&D funding is awarded to support teams that demonstrate the most thorough understanding of their chosen problem as they work toward developing a solution.

For Fall 2026, students can explore problems connected to Waterloo’s five Global Futures themes. Students may also propose a problem in another area of interest. 

Through the Problem Pitch process, students develop skills in problem framing, research, analysis, stakeholder understanding and communication. The competition provides an opportunity to explore a meaningful problem before attempting to build a solution around it.

Applications for the Fall 2026 Problem Pitch Competition are due Friday, October 9, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. And will be reviewed by the Problem Lab team, with selected semi-finalist teams invited to move forward to the finals.

Learn more and apply.