News

Kitchener-based biotech startup HeadFirst could revolutionize concussion detection and give sports leagues a new way to protect their players.

The company, co-founded by Waterloo Engineering alum and University hockey player Andrew Cordssen-David (MBET '23), has developed a rapid saliva-based test to provide a quicker, more objective method for identifying concussions.

An interdisciplinary research team at the University of Waterloo has identified a pivotal mechanism in E. coli evolution that could revolutionize cancer therapy and biomanufacturing. 

Led by Dr. Christian Euler in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Dr. Matthew Scott from the Department of Applied Mathematics, the team’s discovery offers new insights into cellular regulation with implications for producing essential products like insulin and mRNA vaccines. 

The Faculty of Engineering has launched the CEGCs Champions program, a new initiative encouraging students to engage directly with Canada’s most critical engineering challenges.

Conceived and developed by Engineering Deans Canada, under the leadership of Mary Wells, dean of engineering, this program empowers students to make meaningful contributions while gaining skills that will shape their professional futures.

Waterloo Engineering alum Dr. Kiyoumars Zarshenas (PhD ’23) won the Science Exposed 2024 Jury Prize from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for his electron microscope image showcasing the intricate layers of a structured membrane.

Zarshenas' achieved his award-winning image by freezing the membrane with liquid nitrogen, fracturing it and capturing the cross-section using electron microscopy. Inspired by natural forms, he processed the image to emphasize the membrane’s complex structure.

The Government of Canada has announced significant funding awards for University of Waterloo researchers, with Faculty of Engineering scholars receiving grants for impactful projects in technology, sustainability, and health.

This funding, awarded through the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), aims to advance critical areas of research and infrastructure.

Waterloo Engineering student team PeriGuard won first place at the Velocity FemTech Innovation Challenge for their safe, cost-effective and eco-friendly device designed to prevent a woman’s perineum from tearing during childbirth.

The team of biomedical engineering students — Clara Kim, Erica Liu, Sean D'Mello and Emily Rose — competed against seven other teams at the pitch finale and were awarded $4,000 to invest in their innovation’s development.

Launched in 2004, the University of Waterloo's Multi-Scale Additive Manufacturing (MSAM) Lab is now Canada's largest metal additive manufacturing research facility, boasting over $25 million in infrastructure for enhanced research, training and industry partnerships.

The lab's co-directors, Dr. Ehsan Toyserkani and Dr. Mihaela Vlasea, both professors from the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, are focused on developing next-generation metal additive manufacturing technologies while ensuring a commitment to sustainability through the adoption of eco-friendly materials and waste reduction techniques.

Faculty of Engineering researchers from the Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute have been awarded over $1.1 million in funding from the National Cybersecurity Consortium (NCC) to advance two cybersecurity projects focused on enhancing digital security in Canada.

This funding is part of the Cyber Security Innovation Network (CSIN), a national initiative funded by the Canadian government and led by NCC – a not-for-profit organization co-founded by the University of Waterloo to support cybersecurity research, training, and commercialization.

To mark its 20^th anniversary in Cambridge, Waterloo Engineering’s School of Architecture recently hosted alumni, students, partners, faculty and friends at a weekend-long event on its beautiful riverside campus.

The event honoured a special partnership between the City of Cambridge community and the University that has helped build an award-winning landmark and a beacon of academic excellence in the fields of architectural design and engineering.

The University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Engineering is thrilled to announce the launch of its Biomedical Engineering (BME) Graduate program. This new academic program is designed for students with a STEM background looking to advance or build their careers in the innovative worlds of biomedical engineering research and development.  

Working at the intersection of life sciences, medicine and engineering, BME graduate students will tackle health-care challenges with interdisciplinary expertise for real-world impact. *Applications are now open for the Fall 2025 intake and will close on February 1, 2025.