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
PhD Comprehensive Proposal Examination Notice: Challenges in Access Control Implementation and E-Governance User Privacy
Candidate: Indrani Ray
Date: February 17, 2026
Time: 12:00 PM
Location: EIT 3142
Supervisors: Tripunitara, Mahesh – Vaniea, Kami
PhD Comprehensive Proposal Examination Notice: Mapping Physical Device Parameters to Power Amplifier Performance in RF Circuit-level, Large-signal Applications
Candidate: Johan Alant
Date: February 24, 2026
Time: 2:30 PM
Location: E5 4106-28
Supervisor: Wei, Lan
PhD Comprehensive Proposal Examination Notice: Energy Management Systems for Thermo-Electrical Microgrids
Candidate: Shengpu Gao
Date: February 26, 2026
Time: 1:00 PM
Location: EIT 3145
Supervisor: Canizares, Claudio
News
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.
Electrical and computer engineering researchers win Best Paper Award at IEEE Electrical Power and Energy Conference 2025
PhD student Ahmed Shaban Omar and Dr. Ramadan El-Shatshat of the University of Waterloo’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) have received the Best Paper Award at the IEEE Electrical Power and Energy Conference (EPEC) 2025. The award recognizes their innovative research on intelligent energy management for microgrids.
The theme of EPEC 2025 focused on the decarbonization of energy systems, highlighting the importance of smart energy technologies in the transition to a more sustainable electricity grid.