News

Dr. Xuemin (Sherman) Shen, University Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo, has been named one of the world’s leading scientists in electronics and electrical engineering. In the 2024 edition of its annual global ranking, Research.com places Dr. Shen at #18 worldwide and #1 in Canada—a reflection of his extraordinary impact in the field.

Toronto-based virtual private network (VPN) startup Tailscale announced it has raised $230 million in Series C funding to expand its team and meet rising demand from artificial intelligence (AI) companies.

Co-founded in 2019 by Waterloo Engineering alumni Avery Pennarun and David Carney (both BASc ’01, computer engineering), the company offers a secure VPN that simplifies access to private networks.

Each year, the University of Waterloo’s Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Capstone Design program turns the bold ideas of its final-year students into innovations that shape the future. This highly anticipated event is more than just an academic milestone—it's a launchpad for cutting-edge technology, where creativity meets real-world problem-solving. From next-generation hardware to AI-powered solutions, Capstone projects push the boundaries of what’s possible, showcasing the ingenuity, technical skill, and entrepreneurial spirit that define Waterloo engineers.

X-ray technology developed by a Waterloo Engineering spinoff company blasted into space this week as part of a private mission aboard a SpaceX rocket.

The flagship X-ray device made by KA imaging was selected for the Fram2 mission, a partnership of academic institutions and private companies with a four-person crew, for its portability and accuracy.

We are pleased to announce the recipients of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering's 2023 and 2024 faculty awards for teaching, research, and service, selected by ECE’s Merit Committee. These exceptional individuals have demonstrated remarkable achievements and ongoing contributions to our vibrant academic community. Their work continues to inspire excellence across the department and beyond.

Electrical and computer engineering professor, Dr. Mahla Poudineh, has been awarded a prestigious Tier 2 NSERC Canada Research Chair in Health Monitoring BioNano Devices. This recognition comes with $500,000 in funding, along with an additional $100,000 from the Federal Research Fund, to support her groundbreaking work.

Congratulations to recent electrical and computer engineering PhD graduate, Lizhi Liao, whose research has earned him international recognition. Liao’s final thesis paper, Early Detection of Performance Regressions by Bridging Local Performance Data and Architectural Models, has been awarded the ACM Special Interest Group on Software Engineering (SIGSOFT) Distinguished Paper Award. He will receive this prestigious honor at the upcoming 2025 International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE), the premier conference in the field.

In an exciting achievement for the research community, the paper titled "Radar Near-Field Sensing Using Metasurface for Biomedical Applications" has been recognized as one of the Top 25 most downloaded papers in Nature Communications Engineering for 2024.

Oleksandr Hrabar, a Master of Applied Science (MASc) student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at the University of Waterloo, has earned top honours in the 2024 International Youth Math Challenge (IYMC), securing a place among the top 1% of all 5280 participants. Hrabar’s outstanding performance has been recognized with the prestigious Gold Honour, along with the 2nd Prize Senior and the 1st National Award for Canada.

Electrical and computer engineering professor, Dr. Ladan Tahvildari has been named an IBM Champion for 2025. This prestigious recognition is awarded in acknowledgment of her exceptional leadership and significant contributions to the IBM technology community over the past year.