Research

New initiatives for industrial and international partnerships are enabling Waterloo engineers to develop strategic research collaborations in areas such as wireless communications, the mobile internet, additive manufacturing, advanced robotics, biomedical engineering and sustainable energy. 

The Engineering Research Office (ERO) proactively builds relationships with funding agencies, potential sponsors and other stakeholders, pairing the university’s leading engineering researchers with government and industry, to advance new technologies to improve the human condition.

Waterloo Engineering maintains research partnerships with close to 800 Canadian companies and 300 companies internationally, targeting strategic research partnerships with leading global universities.

Several Senate-approved research centres, including the Centre for Advanced Trenchless Technology, the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy, the Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research and the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology form part of Waterloo Engineering’s commitment to research excellence.
 

Areas of Concentration


Additive manufacturing banner
Additive Manufacturing
Fundamentally changing the way things are made.
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Advanced manufacturing banner
Advanced Manufacturing
Controls and precision tooling, lightweight materials, structural crashworthiness, advanced materials. 
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Architecture and design banner
Architecture & Design
Digital design and fabrication technologies, environmental issues and new material economies, globalization, urbanization.
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Automotive banner
Automotive
Autonomous, connected, and mechanical vehicular research.
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Biomedical engineering banner
Biomedical Engineering
Bio-compatibility and in-vitro modelling, human movement, ergonomics, wearable technology.
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Blockchain banner
Blockchain
Shaping the future of blockchain technologies.
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Connectivity and Internet of Things banner
Connectivity and Internet of Things
Advancing IoT research to connect and exchange data.
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Cybersecurity banner
Cybersecurity
Locking down data security.
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Data analytics banner
Data Analytics
Developing sound business decisions.
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Energy storage banner
Energy storage
Alternative fuels, energy harvesting, bio-energy, power systems.
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Nanotechnology banner
Nanotechnology
Nano-biosystems, nano-electronics, nano-instrumentation, nano-materials.
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Operational artificial intelligence banner
Operational Artificial Intelligence
Robotics and machine intelligence, machine learning. 
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Robotics banner
Robotics
Human machine interaction, autonomous robotics, rahabilitation and assistive robotics, micro and nano robitics, and sensing and control.
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Smart infrastructure banner
Smart infrastructure
Transporation networks, smart buildings, smart communities, and sensors and devices.
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Supply chain and logistics banner
Supply chain and logistics
Digital factories, operational research and logistics.
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Vision systems and imaging
Vision systems and imaging
Image processing, medical imaging and scanning.
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Water banner
Water
Drinking water, value-added recovery and waste water management.
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Wireless communications and network research banner
Wireless communications and networks
Delivering transformative wireless technology.
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Information for


Contact the Engineering Research Office to partner with world-renowned researchers

Engineering Research Office Resources for Faculty 

Take a look at our exceptional graduate programs

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News

A Waterloo Engineering professor bestowed the Iron Ring on her students at this year's Iron Ring ceremony on campus. Now in its 100th year, the ceremony is an important rite of passage for Canada's professional engineers, reminding them to work with integrity. 

Dr. Nadine Ibrahim from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering shares why the Iron Ring tradition holds enduring relevance for future engineers and the societies they work in. 

Three Waterloo Engineering students have earned a national fellowship that supports global leadership and entrepreneurship.

Mechatronics Engineering student Beaumont Qu and Software Engineering students Barton Lu and Steven Yang were selected for the 2025 Cansbridge Fellowship, a competitive program that provides hands-on international experience through internships in Asia.

A research team at Waterloo Engineering has taken an important step in the protection of fragile coral reefs by uncovering how and why microplastics in the ocean stick to them.

For the first time, the researchers identified mucus naturally secreted by coral as the mechanism responsible for accumulation of the harmful pollutants on reefs, diverse ecosystems that provide food, shelter and breeding grounds for millions of species.

Engineering Research Links