News

Three recent graduates of Waterloo Engineering have been named to a Canada-wide list of leading innovators from the class of 2025 by an online business and technology news outlet.

Shawn Benedict (BASc ’25, nanotechnology engineering), Melda Kiziltan (BASc ’25, mechatronics engineering) and Jennifer Tsai (BASc ’25, biomedical engineering) are among a dozen promising new graduates featured in a story by The Logic on its annual Top Prospects list.

Substack, the independent publishing platform, has raised USD $100 million in a Series C funding round to enhance its tools for creators and expand its reach.

Co-founded in 2017 by Waterloo Engineering alum Chris Best (BASc ’10, systems design engineering), Waterloo Math alum Jairaj Sethi and former tech reporter Hamish McKenzie, the company — now valued at USD $1.1 billion — aims to further invest in its app and introduce advertising support for writers on the platform.

Kitchener-based medical technology company Intellijoint Surgical Inc. has developed a computer-assisted navigation system that helps surgeons position implants during hip and knee replacement surgery.

Co-founded in 2010 by Waterloo Engineering alumni Armen Bakirtzian (BASc ’08), Andre Hladio (BASc ’08, MASc ’10) and Richard Fanson (BASc ’08), the company’s innovative system enhances surgical accuracy using a miniature optical camera that enables real-time precision.

Engineering researchers are among more than 100 University of Waterloo faculty members receiving new federal support to pursue long-term, high-impact discovery research.

The funding is part of over $32 million awarded to Waterloo through a national investment by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), and the New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF), supporting researchers at institutions across the country.

Health-tech startup Cobionix has secured U.S. $3 million in funding to accelerate the commercialization of its flagship autonomous medical robot, CODI®, in North American and UK healthcare systems.

Co-founded in 2021 by Waterloo Engineering alumni Nima Zamani and Dr. Tim Lasswell (both BASc ‘14 and MASc ‘16, mechanical and mechatronics engineering) with John Van Leeuwen (BSc ‘81), Cobionix builds autonomous medical robots that can help make health care more accessible.

A Waterloo Engineering graduate student has been awarded one of Canada’s top graduate scholarships for her research helping communities adapt to extreme heat using data-driven, climate-resilient solutions.

Irfhana Zakir Hussain, a PhD student in the Department of Systems Design Engineering and the School of Public Health Sciences, has received a 2025 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship for her work in integrating environmental, health and socioeconomic data to predict and map heat-related health risks in Waterloo neighbourhoods.

Ahmed Shahin (MASc ’21, nanotechnology engineering) is on a mission to make advanced gas-sensing technology affordable, efficient and accessible — a goal that’s earned him national recognition as one of Canada’s top graduate researchers.

Now pursuing a PhD in mechanical and mechatronics engineering and as a member of the University of Waterloo’s Institute of Quantum Computing (IQC), Shahin is among this year’s recipients of the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship. Valued at $50,000 per year for up to three years, the scholarship supports exceptional doctoral students across Canada who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership and strong research potential.

Three Waterloo Engineering alumni are infusing Ontario’s summer scene with handcrafted ice cream, Egyptian street food and craft beer.

Ajoa Mintah (BASc ’01, chemical engineering), Amr Elmazariky (MASc ’11, electrical and computer engineering) and Jim Murphy (BASc ’95, chemical engineering) all worked as engineers before becoming successful entrepreneurs in the food and beverage sector.

Researchers across disciplines at Waterloo Engineering are using artificial intelligence (AI) to help prepare for and respond to natural disasters such as wildfires and floods.

Dr. Joshua Pulsipher, a professor of chemical engineering, is developing models that leverage AI and data to forecast and track fires with greater accuracy.

A Waterloo Engineering graduate student who restarted her academic journey in Canada after the war in Ukraine has been recognized internationally for her research in AI-powered sports analytics.

Kseniia Buzko arrived at Waterloo through a summer program for displaced Ukrainian students, later completing her undergraduate degree with top marks and joining the Department of Systems Design Engineering's Vision and Image Processing Research Group as a master’s student.