News

A researcher at Waterloo Engineering is working to better understand how fires can start and spread when lithium-ion batteries fail, a critical problem as the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution drives the proliferation of power-hungry data centres.

Dr. Vinny Gupta, a professor of mechanical and mechatronics engineering, works in conjunction with fellow engineering professors including Dr. Michael Pope and Dr. Kyle Daun at the Fire Research Facility on campus.

An alumnus of Waterloo Engineering cites the wealth and variety of expertise on campus as a significant factor in the success of a robotics company he co-founded with three classmates from the mechatronics engineering program.

Ryan Gariepy (BASc ’09, MASc ’12) launched Clearpath Robotics in Kitchener in 2009 with fellow graduates Patrick Martinson, Matt Rendall and Bryan Webb. It was acquired by Rockwell Automation, a U.S.-based industrial automation company, in 2023.

Computer modelling at Waterloo Engineering shows professional baseball pitchers could make mechanical changes to avoid a common, career-threatening elbow injury without necessarily sacrificing competitive velocity.

"Our simulation found solutions that suggest there's untapped efficiency out there,” said Cedric Attias, who led the study while earning a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. “Our goal isn't to tell pitchers to throw softer. It's to help them throw smarter."

A graduate student at Waterloo Engineering is in the running in a national photography contest meant to showcase and generate interest in scientific research.

Matthew Krmpotic, who is studying the aerodynamics of vehicles as he pursues his doctorate in mechanical and mechatronics engineering, was named one of 20 finalists in the 2026 Science Exposed competition sponsored by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

Researchers at Waterloo Engineering have created technology to safely control and coordinate autonomous robots to perform routine tasks in hospitals and long-term care facilities.

The system, developed to help address a projected global nursing shortage, features ceiling-mounted sensor nodes equipped with cameras, LiDAR (light detection and ranging), an onboard processor and a 5G WiFi communication interface to connect to the cloud.

An international research team led by Waterloo Engineering has found a way to turn plastic waste into the main ingredient in vinegar using sunlight.

Their discovery could help reduce plastic pollution, especially in water, while also producing acetic acid, a chemical widely used in food production, chemical manufacturing and energy applications.

A company launched in 2024 by three Waterloo Engineering graduates has secured US $50 million in backing to help drive a move away from residential gas furnaces to its all-electric, smart heat pumps.

Vancouver-based Jetson, which was started by experienced technology entrepreneurs Stephen Lake, Matthew Bailey and Aaron Grant (all BASc ’12, mechatronics engineering), announced the funding infusion this week as it sets its sights on transforming the home heating and cooling industry in North America.

A health-technology company that grew out a fourth-year design project at Waterloo Engineering continues to gain traction after earning a key approval from Health Canada this fall.

Vena Medical was launched at Velocity, the flagship startup incubator at the University of Waterloo, after classmates Michael Phillips and Phillip Cooper (both BASc ’18, mechanical engineering) won early commercialization funding through entrepreneurship programs.

An alumnus of Waterloo Engineering aiming for a career in avionics and national defense has won a $50,000 scholarship to pursue graduate studies.

Megan Chang (BASc ’25, mechatronics engineering) was one of 14 female winners nation-wide through a program created to remember the 14 women murdered by a misogynist at École Polytechnique (now Polytechnique Montréal) on Dec. 6, 1989.

An alumnus of Waterloo Engineering has been named to an international list of the 100 most influential people driving business climate action.

Stephen Lake (BASc ’12, mechatronics engineering) appears on an annual list published by TIME magazine with an eclectic mix of world decision-makers, executives, researchers, and innovators that includes California Governor Gavin Newsom, actor Samuel L. Jackson, King Charles III and Pope Leo XIV.