News

A Waterloo Engineering research team has received federal funding to develop a made-in-Canada solution to one of the country's most pressing environmental challenges.

Dr. Sushanta Mitra, a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, along with chemical engineering professors Dr. Boxin Zhao and Dr. Nasser Mohieddin Abukhdeir, has been awarded $600,000 through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) Call for Proposals on Plastics Science and Innovation for a Cleaner and More Sustainable Future. 

Researchers at Waterloo Engineering used nanotechnology to develop a new formulation that is both greener and more effective than existing methods for applying pesticides to plants.

Their water-based solution reduces costly waste and environmental contamination by making pesticides stick to plant leaves better – even in wind and rain – minimizing splash and runoff.

A PhD student in the Faculty of Engineering has been recognized for exceptional contributions to teaching and learning at the University of Waterloo.

Ryan Tennant, a systems design engineering doctoral student, is the recipient of the 2026 Certificate in University Teaching (CUT) Award, presented by the Centre for Teaching Excellence. The CUT program recognizes graduate students and postdoctoral scholars who demonstrate a strong commitment to evidence-based, inclusive teaching.

Two Waterloo Engineering professors have been elected fellows of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE), among the highest honours the profession bestows in Canada.

Dr. Amir Khajepour and Dr. Boxin Zhao were among 56 new fellows named this year in recognition of outstanding contributions to engineering in Canada and internationally.

Waterloo Engineering's Critical Machine Learning (ML) Lab is developing AI systems that are safer, more efficient and more equitable — with active applications in health care, aviation and climate action.

Dr. Sirisha Rambhatla, a professor in the Department of Management Science and Engineering, leads the lab's research. Her team works at the level of ML theory to predict and engineer it — so users can make safer, fairer decisions at lower computing costs and with less waste.

A Waterloo Engineering student design team has been selected as one of 20 universities across North America to compete in the EcoCAR Innovation Challenge, the next 4-year installment of the Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions series.

The University of Waterloo Alternative Fuels Team (UWAFT) is one of only two Canadian universities chosen and the only Canadian team in the Stellantis track, where they will work with a 2026 Jeep Cherokee hybrid.

The Department of Management Science and Engineering and the Faculty of Engineering are mourning the loss of a longtime colleague and scholar.

Dr. Paul Guild, professor emeritus in the Department of Management Science and Engineering, passed away on April 24, 2026, at the age of 80. An alum of the University of Waterloo, Guild spent more than three decades at the university he had once studied at, leaving a lasting mark on research, innovation and the careers of countless students.

A faculty member in the Department of Chemical Engineering has received an international honour for his work in materials fabrication.

Dr. Milad Kamkar has been named a recipient of the 2026 Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineering Award from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME).

This opinion piece by the University of Waterloo’s Dr. Mary Wells, dean of engineering and Dr. Jochen Koenemann, dean of mathematics, appeared in the Hill Times.

If you are wondering whether a degree in software engineering is still worth pursuing, the answer is yes—not because the field is unchanged, but because it is changing profoundly. 

A study of wildfires by researchers at Waterloo Engineering reveals a risk of costly over-reaction by emergency responders who monitor social media posts.

While posts by the public have been shown to help firefighters spring into action faster, a detailed analysis of wildfires in California suggests social media signals can be a double-edged sword.