News

Five professors from Waterloo Engineering have received Early Researcher Awards (ERA) from the Government of Ontario to support innovative, homegrown research that benefits Ontario’s workers and communities.

The Early Researcher Awards program supports early-career faculty members by providing funding to build research teams and pursue transformational research. Each recipient is awarded up to $140,000 over five years. The awards were announced as part of a $75 million provincial investment to advance research and innovation across Ontario.

Waterloo-based femtech company CELLECT Laboratories Inc. delivered a winning business pitch and is now $44,000 closer to launching its innovative product that will replace the need for pap smears.

The company is led by two Waterloo Engineering master’s students — CT Murphy (chemical engineering) and Ibukun Elebute (business, entrepreneurship and technology). Its product, a sanitary pad that will collect fluids to screen for diseases such as cervical cancer, already has a waitlist.

Waterloo Engineering professor Dr. Maud Gorbet has established a fund to provide biomedical engineering (BME) undergraduate students with learning opportunities outside the classroom.

The fund will help support the student-led Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), the annual BioTEC conference and undergraduate students’ travel costs to present their research at conferences.

A party of Waterloo Engineering alumni, faculty members, students, staff and friends gathered to celebrate the launch of the Faculty’s Ring Road Lager, a special collaboration with Elora Brewing Company to mark 100 years of the iron ring. 

The limited-edition lager received rave reviews. A portion of the beer sales go towards the 100 Years of Canadian Engineering Fund to support future Waterloo Engineering students. 

A professor known for inspiring students to think differently has received the University of Waterloo’s highest honour for teaching excellence.

Dr. Marc Hurwitz, a professor who teaches leadership and entrepreneurship at the Faculty of Engineering’s Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business, was named one of four recipients of the 2025 Distinguished Teacher Award. Hurwitz has been a faculty member at the Conrad School since 2014.

Researchers at the University of Waterloo have developed a new tutorial that explores the intersection between engineering and biology with a focus on microbial physiology.  

Led by Dr. Christian Euler and Dr. Matthew Scott, professors in the departments of Chemical Engineering and Mathematics, respectively, the tutorial is designed to help researchers move into new fields, bridge knowledge gaps for greater collaboration and support PhD studies.

Urban planners, architects and filmmakers could all benefit from new technology developed by a research team led by Waterloo Engineering.

The automated system can generate 3D computer models of buildings or entire cities using only 2D aerial photographs, a much cheaper, faster way than relying on specially trained 3D artists and computer graphics programs.

A former dean of Waterloo Engineering and renowned Canadian engineering scholar has been recognized for his contributions to the field of microelectronics with a national lifetime achievement award.

Dr. Adel Sedra, professor emeritus and former dean of engineering at the University of Waterloo, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Canada’s Semiconductor Council during its annual awards dinner in Ottawa last month. 

The home of artificial intelligence (AI) at the University of Waterloo is teaming up with chemical company BASF on a three-year research agreement.

The partnership is designed to facilitate knowledge sharing and develop advanced AI systems to drive operational excellence, enhance customer value, and streamline processes.

Dr. Katherine (Kate) Sellen, a leading design researcher working at the intersection of health innovation and human-centred systems, has been appointed the Faculty of Engineering’s inaugural George Soulis Chair in the Department of Systems Design Engineering (SYDE).

Beginning May 1, 2025, Sellen will bring her practice-based research and strong commitment to community impact into a role that builds on the department’s legacy of interdisciplinary, human-centred design education.