Join microrobotics researchers at the Southern Ontario Microrobotics in Medicine Research Symposium.
We are pleased to announce the SOMMeRS 2026: Southern Ontario Microrobotics in Medicine Research Symposium on Friday, August 21, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. EST on the Waterloo campus. Registration is required, but available free of charge for in-person participation.
SOMMeRS is a celebration of over 23 years of medical microrobotics research with pioneers in the field. The symposium will shine a spotlight on the growing multidisciplinary field of medical nano/microrobotics in our community at Waterloo and neighbouring cities in Southern Ontario. This is a great opportunity for active researchers in microrobotics and related topics to connect and share their progress and challenges.
Nano/microrobotics is an emerging multidisciplinary field that brings together different disciplines of science, engineering, and medicine with the goal of revolutionizing medical interventions such as noninvasive surgery, targeted drug and cell delivery and diagnostics.
This event is kindly sponsored by the Faculty of Engineering, the Department of Chemical Engineering, the Department of Systems Design Engineering at the University of Waterloo and UpNano.
Contact Veronika Magdanz and Hamed Shahsavan with questions.
SOMMeRS Agenda 2026
| TIME | AGENDA | SPEAKER/TITLE |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 am - 9:15 am | Opening Ceremony | Associate Director of Global Futures Carly Turnbell, Hamed Shahsavan, and Veronika Magdanz |
| 9:15 am – 9:45 am | Keynote | Associate Prof. Eric Diller, University of Toronto — Micro-Scale Surgery: Using Magnetic Fields to Control Tiny Robots in the Gut and Brain |
| 9:45 am – 10:05 am | Invited Talk | Associate Prof. Mahla Poudineh, McMaster University — Hydrogel microneedle integrated electrochemical aptamer biosensor for continuous biomarker tracking in vivo |
| 10:05 am – 10:20 am | Break | Refreshments |
| 10:20 am – 10:40 am | Invited Talk | Assistant Prof. Xian Wang, Queen's University — Microrobot in the Brain: Measurement, Stimulation, and Treatment |
| 10:40 am – 11:00 am | Invited Talk | Assistant Prof. Cameron Forbrigger, University of Waterloo — Simultaneously Actuating and Sensing Rotating Microrobots with Magnetic Fields |
| 11:00 am – 11:45 am | Demos & Pitches | UpNano Representative: 11:00am – 11:15am |
| 11:45 am – 12:45 pm | Lunch & Posters | Meal and Refreshments |
| 12:45 pm – 1:05 pm | MIRACLE Talk | Veronika Magdanz & Hamed Shahsavan |
| 1:05 pm – 2:05 pm | Discussion Panel | Rob Casper, Tohid Didar, Sarah Khalife, Mike Clark |
| 2:05 pm – 2:20 pm | Break | Refreshments |
| 2:20 pm – 2:40 pm | Invited Talk | Assistant Prof. Onaizah Onaizah, McMaster University — (Title) |
| 2:40 pm – 3:00 pm | Invited Talk | Associate Prof. Henry Shum, University of Waterloo — Modelling the hydrodynamics of swimming microrobots |
| 3:00 pm – 3:30 pm | Pitches & Demos | (Pitches & demos, student talks) |
| 3:30 pm – 3:50 pm | Invited Talk |
Associate Prof. Zeinab Hosseinidoust, McMaster University - Bacteriophage coated microbots for disruption of bacterial biofilms |
| 3:50 pm – 4:10 pm | Invited Talk |
Prof. Behrad Khamesee, University of Waterloo - Maglev Microrobots in Biomedical Applications |
| 4:10 pm – 5:30 pm | Networking Time | Networking |
| 5:30 pm – 5:45 pm | Awards & Final Remarks | Veronika Magdanz and Hamed Shahsavan |