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