News

An interdisciplinary research team at the University of Waterloo has developed a method to convert food waste into biodegradable plastics using bacteria. The plastics are soft and flexible, making them suitable for applications like food wrap, drug delivery systems and tissue engineering.

Led by Dr. Tizazu Mekonnen, a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, and Dr. Trevor Charles, a professor in the Department of Biology, the team produced polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), a type of plastic that decomposes into harmless byproducts.

University of Waterloo engineering graduate Julia Baribeau (BASc ’23) is addressing global water and sustainability challenges through intrapreneurship – bringing entrepreneurial innovation to her role at sustainability consulting firm Enviro-Stewards and its social venture, Safe Water Social Ventures.

Baribeau’s journey began in Waterloo’s mechatronics engineering program, where co-op placements honed her technical skills and sparked her interest in the social impact of technology.

Nine incoming students to the Faculty of Engineering have been awarded prestigious Ted Rogers scholarships.

These scholarships recognize academic excellence, leadership, and a commitment to driving positive change, while supporting underrepresented groups in engineering and technology.

Kwaku Owusu Twum (PhD and MBET in progress) is revolutionizing agriculture with his platform, Mapmate. Born and raised in Ghana, Twum's exposure to the impacts of climate variability on food security sparked a lifelong mission to improve agricultural systems through technology.

Before coming to Waterloo, Twum honed his expertise in the food and manufacturing sectors and in land management consulting. Seeking a dynamic entrepreneurial environment, he joined the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business, where he is now an Entrepreneurial PhD Fellow.

An interdisciplinary research team from the University of Waterloo is building systems that mimic the human brain to improve the power efficiency and performance of artificial neural networks like those used in autonomous vehicle (AV) technology.   

Dr. Chris Eliasmith, a professor jointly appointed to the Departments of Systems Design Engineering and Philosophy, leads Waterloo’s Computational Neuroscience Research Group (CNRG), which focuses on replicating human brain function to create more efficient and powerful artificial systems.  

University of Waterloo researchers have achieved a breakthrough in electric vehicle (EV) battery technology that addresses key barriers to EV adoption including charging time and longevity.

Developed by Waterloo Engineering professors Dr. Yverick Rangom and Dr. Michael Pope, both from the Department of Chemical Engineering, their innovation enables EV batteries to charge from zero to 80 percent in just 15 minutes instead of the usual one hour, and withstand up to 800 charging cycles.

The Faculty of Engineering hosted an inspiring Q&A session with Jim Estill (BASc ’1980) CEO of Danby Appliances, in a packed event space in Engineering Building 7.

The event, titled Discover the Power of Purpose-Driven Leadership, brought together students, faculty, and alumni to engage with one of Waterloo’s most accomplished and philanthropic graduates.

Four professors from Waterloo Engineering have been named among the top one per cent of researchers globally, based on citation impact over the past decade.

This recognition is part of the Highly Cited Researchers List™, published by Clarivate, an analytics company that highlights researchers making exceptional contributions to advancing knowledge in their fields.

Waterloo Engineering alum Sukh Singh (BASc ’12,) is the co-founder of Ground News, a media platform offering users a comprehensive view of news coverage across the political spectrum. Drawing on his University co-op experiences, Singh combines his passion for technology with a commitment to fostering informed, balanced discourse in today’s media landscape.

In this founder spotlight, Singh discusses how his co-op work terms helped him kickstart his entrepreneurial journey.

A Waterloo Engineering research team has developed a new technology that can generate sustainable, clean energy from vibrations and even small body movements.

This innovative research, supervised by Dr. Dayan Ban, a professor at the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, means you could charge your laptop by typing or power your smartphone’s battery on your morning run.