Electrical and computer engineers shape the future through innovation. They develop and improve systems that serve everyday needs of society spanning from high-voltage engineering and sustainable energy, to breakthroughs in wireless technology. Our faculty and students do everything from creating low-cost digital x-ray imagers to combat tuberculosis in developing countries, to building real-time embedded systems to advance the design and reliability of commercial products. ECE - the future is what we do.
Research
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is a dynamic and innovative hub of cutting-edge advancements in technology and engineering. Faculty members lead pioneering research in areas such as robotics, artificial intelligence, communications, embedded systems, and renewable energy, addressing real-world challenges and driving technological breakthroughs.
Resources
Events
Seminar: Securing Modern CPUs Across Architectural Boundaries
Speaker: Ruiyi Zhang
Date: Monday, March 16, 2026
Time: 11:00 am to noon
Location: EIT 3142
All are welcome!
Seminar: Accelerating Irregular Computation
Speaker: Dr. Ahmed Mahmoud
Date: Thursday, March 19, 2026
Time: 11:00 am to noon
Location: online
Meeting ID: 946 3073 6303
Passcode: AHMED
Seminar: Built on Broken Ground: Why Secure Computing Must Start at the Hardware
Speaker: Jeonghyun Woo
Date: Monday, March 23, 2026
Time: 11:00 am to noon
Location: EIT 3142
All are welcome.
News
Electrical and computer engineering MASc student Alicia Pan wins first place at GRADflix
Electrical and Computer Engineering MASc student Alicia Pan has won first place at the University of Waterloo’s GRADflix Showcase on March 10, where graduate students present their research through short, engaging videos designed for a broad audience.
Pan’s winning video, “Meet Mirrly: A Social Robot for the Eye Doctor’s Office,” introduces Mirrly, a robot designed to help children with amblyopia (lazy eye) follow their eye-patching treatment.
Electrical and Computer Engineering PhD Student Ahmed Metwally Hegazy Awarded Prestigious IEEE MTT-S Graduate Fellowship
Electrical and computer engineering PhD student Ahmed Metwally Hegazy, under the supervision of Dr. Raafat Mansour, has been named a recipient of the 2026 IEEE MTT-S Graduate Fellowship by the IEEE Microwave Theory and Technology Society (MTT-S). This international fellowship recognizes outstanding PhD research contributions in RF and microwave engineering. Fellowship recipients are selected annually, with only 12–15 students chosen from around the world (≈20% success rate). Ahmed is the first University of Waterloo student to receive this fellowship since 2012.
Robots turn music into paintings of light
Ever wondered what music might look like in motion? Electrical and computer engineering professor Dr. Gennaro Notomista and his team at the University of Waterloo are using swarms of robots to turn sound into stunning paintings of light. By translating musical features like tempo and chords into movement and illumination, the robots create live, interactive works of art that blend technology, creativity, and human input.
This exciting work highlights how robotics, art, and music can come together in unexpected ways.