News

Toronto-based virtual private network (VPN) startup Tailscale announced it has raised $230 million in Series C funding to expand its team and meet rising demand from artificial intelligence (AI) companies.

Co-founded in 2019 by Waterloo Engineering alumni Avery Pennarun and David Carney (both BASc ’01, computer engineering), the company offers a secure VPN that simplifies access to private networks.

Researchers at Waterloo Engineering led the discovery of an efficient new way to turn common bacteria into tiny factories pumping out powerful nanoparticles for a variety of biomedical uses.

Dr. Yilan Liu and her team engineered bacteria found in the human gut, or gastrointestinal tract, to dramatically increase the number of bubble-shaped nanoparticles they secrete.

A Waterloo Engineering PhD candidate is investigating how autonomous vehicle (AV) users can respond better to potential cyberattacks — an increasing risk as vehicles become more technologically advanced. 

Fan He from the Department of Systems Design Engineering, plans to develop strategies and infrastructure that meet changing road safety requirements and is realizing her ambitions thanks to support from the Maks Wulkan Graduate Scholarship. 

The additive manufacturing facility at Waterloo Engineering has partnered with two leading companies in the field to repair high-value aerospace components using titanium alloys.

The Multi-Scale Additive Manufacturing (MSAM) Laboratory is teaming up with the Nikon Corporation and Advanced Powders and Coatings (AP&C) on a project involving systems that will be the first of their kind in Canada.

This opinion piece by Dean Mary Wells of Waterloo Engineering and Dean Suzanne Kresta of the University of Prince Edward Island's Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering recently appeared in the Globe and Mail.

Nearly a century ago, Canadian engineers conducted the first iron ring ceremony, a way for the profession to symbolize its commitment to the public good following a moment of failure and broken trust.

Eight teams of student founders from the University of Waterloo won a total of $95,000 at the Velocity Pitch Competition – All Star Edition to invest in their innovative startups.  

Waterloo Engineering students co-founded six of those startups, including the event’s first-prize winner of $25,000 — GreaseTech. The company, co-founded by Jesh Ramesh (MBET ’24), helps manufacturers prevent machine failures by optimizing lubrication processes.

The University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Engineering hosted Tobias Lütke, CEO and co-founder of Shopify, in a recent fireside chat with Vivek Goel, president and vice-chancellor of the University. 

Lütke spoke of the calibre of Waterloo's co-op students, stating that Shopify employs 40 per cent of its interns from the University because "Waterloo offers a different tier of talent".

Waterloo Engineering and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering are mourning the loss of Professor Emeritus Timothy Topper, an influential researcher in fatigue and fracture mechanics and a beloved mentor to generations of students and colleagues.

Dr. Topper passed away on February 28, 2025.

X-ray technology developed by a Waterloo Engineering spinoff company blasted into space this week as part of a private mission aboard a SpaceX rocket.

The flagship X-ray device made by KA imaging was selected for the Fram2 mission, a partnership of academic institutions and private companies with a four-person crew, for its portability and accuracy.

Twelve teams of fourth-year Waterloo Engineering students pitched their Capstone Design projects as viable startup ideas to a panel of industry judges at the 2025 Norman Esch Entrepreneurship Awards.

Ideas included a device to enhance sleep quality and cognitive function in children with epilepsy, and a novel material designed to improve efficiency in oil spill remediation.