News

A University of Waterloo professor has received $100,000 from the Scotiabank Climate Action Research Fund to advance bacteria-powered technology that turns mixed waste streams into low-carbon products. 

Dr. Christian Euler from the Department of Chemical Engineering is investigating how landfill gas by-products and other waste materials can be transformed into valuable bioplastics at industrial scale.

Graduate students swept the top three spots in this year’s Waterloo Engineering contest to recognize striking photographs taken during academic research.

The first-place prize of $1,000 went to chemical engineering student Estatira Amirieh for a forest-like image that emerged from a laboratory bench, not nature. Its delicate structures were created through electrospinning, a process in which a liquid polymer solution is pulled by electric fields into ultra-thin threads that solidify as they travel through the air.

Five professors from Waterloo Engineering were named among the most influential researchers worldwide for their citation impact, according to the 2025 Highly Cited Researchers list from Clarivate.

The recognition highlights global research leaders whose work continues to advance knowledge and drive innovation across disciplines.

A Waterloo Engineering researcher is part of an international coalition revolutionizing health-care delivery by developing technology for fast, on-site vaccine production.

Dr. Valerie Ward, a chemical engineering professor, plays a critical role in the coalition —her research focuses on ensuring vaccine purity during the autonomous manufacturing process.  

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.

University of Waterloo spin-off company CELLECT. is revolutionizing women’s health with a non-invasive disease screening method. This user-friendly alternative to Pap smears integrates nanotechnology with menstrual products to detect HPV and cervical cancer.

Founded in 2023 by CT Murphy (BASc '23, nanotechnology engineering & MASc in progress, chemical engineering), the company aims to empower women by making health care more inclusive and less intimidating.

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.

An interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Waterloo's Faculties of Engineering and Science have received $2.5 million in federal funding to develop new ways to convert waste materials into valuable commodities. 

Led by Dr. Christian Euler, a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, the team is reimagining how plastics, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and agricultural residues can be transformed into biodegradable bioplastics or useful chemical products.

Microplastics, tiny particles that result from the breakdown of larger plastic materials, pose significant threats to ecosystems and human health due to their resistance to decomposition. Until now, scientists have struggled to fully understand how these particles degrade, especially at the microscopic level.

In a groundbreaking study, Waterloo Engineering researchers Dr. William Anderson and Dr. Boxin Zhao, in collaboration with the National Research Council (NRC), have used 3D imaging technology to examine microplastics in unprecedented detail, a critical step toward improving plastic recycling methods.