Waterloo Engineering research in the news
Dean Wells pays tribute to the iron ring's legacy
This opinion piece by Dean Mary Wells of Waterloo Engineering and Dean Suzanne Kresta of the University of Prince Edward Island's Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering recently appeared in the Globe and Mail.
Nearly a century ago, Canadian engineers conducted the first iron ring ceremony, a way for the profession to symbolize its commitment to the public good following a moment of failure and broken trust.
Dean Wells calls out the GenAI risks to women
This opinion piece by the University of Waterloo’s Dr. Mary Wells, dean of Engineering; Dr. Lai-Tze Fan, Canada Research Chair in Technology and Social Change; and Dr. Ashley Mehlenbacher, Canada Research Chair in Science, Health, and Technology Communication, appeared today in the Toronto Star.
It’s been more than a month since U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris launched her bid for the presidency and already AI-generated disinformation is working to smear her name. She’s not alone.
Explore Trust research labs and centres
Meet our researchers and discover their areas of expertise
AI & Data
AI and data involve collecting, processing, and analyzing large datasets to train algorithms, enabling machines to recognize patterns, make decisions, and generate insights for automation, prediction, and intelligent problem-solving.
Application Security
Application security involves designing, implementing, and testing software to protect applications from vulnerabilities, threats, and attacks, ensuring data integrity, confidentiality, and reliable, secure operation throughout the software lifecycle.
Communications and Collaborative Problem Solving
Communications and collaborative problem solving involve sharing information, ideas, and feedback effectively within teams to jointly identify challenges, develop solutions, and achieve goals through coordinated, cooperative efforts.
Complex Systems and Organizational Theory
Complex systems and organizational theory studies interconnected structures, behaviours, and emergent patterns within organizations, examining adaptation, decision-making, networks, and feedback to improve resilience, strategy, coordination, and system-level performance.
- David Fortin
- Eihab Abdel-Rahman
- Jangho Yang
- Kate Sellen
- Rebecca Saari
- Reem Roufail
- Woi Sok Oh
- Zhao Pan
Cybersecurity, Cryptography, and Privacy
Cybersecurity, cryptography, and privacy involve protecting digital systems and data from unauthorized access or attacks, using encryption, secure protocols, and privacy measures to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and trustworthiness of information.
Decision Making
Decision making is the process of analyzing information, evaluating options, and selecting the best course of action to achieve goals, often incorporating data, logic, experience, and risk assessment.
- Amir-Hossein Karimi
- Mark Smucker
- Mehrdad Pirnia
- Muhammad Umair Shah
- Rebecca Saari
- Selcuk Onay
- Shi Cao
- Woi Sok Oh
Design and Product Development
Design and product development involve creating, testing, and refining products or systems, combining creativity, engineering, and user feedback to deliver functional, efficient, and market-ready solutions.
Engineering Design Education
Engineering design education investigates how learners develop design knowledge, skills, and mindsets, and studies teaching methods, tools, teamwork, creativity, and assessment to improve design learning and instructional effectiveness.
Ethics, History, and Societal Impact
Ethics, history, and societal smpact examines moral principles, historical contexts, and technology’s consequences to understand how human values, past events, and social systems shape decisions, responsibilities, and equitable futures globally.
Human and Technological Systems
Human and technological systems explore interactions between people and complex technologies, studying behaviour, design, interfaces, data, and organizational contexts to optimize performance, safety, usability, and societal outcomes across interconnected domains.
- Amir-Hossein Karimi
- Kami Vaniea
- Kate Sellen
- Mark Smucker
- Muhammad Umair Shah
- Moojan Ghafurian
- Rebecca Saari
- Shi Cao
- Woi Sok Oh
Human-Machine Interaction
Human–machine learning involves designing systems where humans and machines collaboratively learn, adapt, and improve performance, leveraging human intuition and machine computation to enhance decision-making, problem-solving, and predictive capabilities.
Information Security
Information security involves protecting digital and physical data from unauthorized access, theft, or damage, ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability while managing risks and maintaining trust in information systems.
Management of Technology and Technology Innovation
Management of technology and technology innovation examines how organizations develop, implement, and commercialize new technologies, integrating strategy, processes, resources, and culture to accelerate innovation, competitiveness, and sustainable value creation globally.
Modelling and Simulation
Modelling and simulation involve creating digital or mathematical representations of real-world systems to analyze behaviour, predict outcomes, and test scenarios, supporting decision-making, design, and optimization without physical trials.
Negotiations and Conflict Management
Negotiations and conflict management involve resolving disputes and reaching agreements through communication, compromise, and problem-solving, aiming to balance interests, maintain relationships, and achieve mutually acceptable outcomes.
Network Security
Network security involves protecting computer networks from unauthorized access, attacks, or disruptions by implementing policies, hardware, and software measures to ensure data integrity, confidentiality, and reliable connectivity.
Northern and Indigenous Architecture
Northern and Indigenous architecture centers on place-based design grounded in cultural knowledge, climate resilience, community needs, sustainable materials, and storytelling, honoring traditions while supporting self-determination and responsive built environments in northern regions.
Operational Security
Operational security (OPSEC) involves identifying and protecting sensitive information, assessing risks, and implementing procedures to prevent adversaries from exploiting vulnerabilities in organizational operations.
Software Analysis and Testing
Software analysis and testing involve examining code and applications to identify defects, ensure functionality, verify performance, and validate that software meets requirements and quality standards before deployment.
Theoretical and Applied Control
Theoretical and applied control involves designing and analyzing systems to regulate behaviour, using mathematical models and practical techniques to ensure stability, performance, and desired outcomes in engineering and technology.
