Canada's Largest Engineering School

The Faculty of Engineering is mourning the loss of Dr. Brian Le Lievre, a professor emeritus in civil and environmental engineering. Le Lievre died on Jan. 2, 2026, at the age of 98.

Le Lievre was part of the University of Waterloo’s earliest generation of scholars in soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering, helping shape the department in its founding years. Across more than 25 years at Waterloo, he taught, mentored and led with a steady focus on students and the discipline.

Waterloo-based AgTech company Upside Robotics has secured USD $7.5 million in seed funding to accelerate the growth of its AI-powered agricultural robotics platform.

Co-founded in 2024 by Waterloo Engineering alum Sam Dugan (BASc ’22, mechatronics engineering) and Jana Tian, Upside Robotics is transforming agriculture through sustainable automation. The company’s lightweight, autonomous robots apply fertilizer precisely where crops need it, enabling farmers to remotely monitor fields, track crop health and deliver nutrients efficiently — without stepping foot on the soil.

A Waterloo Engineering professor challenged graduating students to think beyond technical success during this year’s …And One More Thing lecture, sharing her perspective on how prioritizing students’ development as good human beings empowers them to become good engineers.

Dr. Pendar Mahmoudi, an associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, is the recipient of the Faculty of Engineering’s 2025 Boyce Family Teaching Award.  The award was established in 2023 and made possible by generous donation from the Boyce family.