Future students

Dr. Lyndon Jones, a member of the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN), has received the University of Waterloo Excellence in Science Research Award (Senior Career Category) in recognition of his internationally impactful work in ocular and contact lens research. His contributions to dry eye disease, biomaterials, and drug delivery have advanced vision science and improved outcomes for millions of contact lens users worldwide.

Nazmul Hossain, a PhD student in Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Waterloo, has received multiple prestigious graduate scholarships—including OGS, QEII-GSST, and NSERC CGRS-D—in recognition of his research in sustainable energy technologies. Supervised by WIN faculty members Dr. Y. Norman Zhou and Dr. Aiping Yu, his work in next-generation energy harvesting highlights the impact of strong mentorship and innovative research at Waterloo.

Alfred Yu and Xuemin (Sherman) Shen, professors in Electrical and Computer Engineering, have received prestigious IEEE Canada awards in recognition of their exceptional contributions to engineering. Yu was honoured for his innovations in ultrasound imaging technology, while Shen was recognized for his impactful work in wireless and communication networks. Their achievements highlight the global influence of their research and leadership in advancing engineering technologies.

Congratulations to Juewen Liu for his pioneering work in DNA-based materials, where he is advancing the use of aptamers for applications in sensing, therapeutics, and environmental technologies.

Congratulations to WIN member Marina Meilă on being awarded a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Reliable Structure Discovery. Her work focuses on developing advanced methods to ensure machine learning results are accurate and trustworthy, strengthening the reliability of data-driven discoveries and advancing innovation across scientific disciplines.

Congratulations to the recipients of the Joint CityUHK–UW Seed Fund. Launched this term by WIN, the Faculty of Health at the University of Waterloo, and the City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK), the program supports early-stage collaborative research in health and life sciences. Funded projects focus on innovative solutions for Alzheimer’s disease and advanced tissue engineering, highlighting the strength of international partnerships and high-impact research collaboration.

Congratulations to Sushanta Mitra, Boxin Zhao, and Nasser Mohieddin Abukhdeir on receiving $600,000 in federal funding to advance research on microplastic pollution. Their project focuses on developing an innovative, made-in-Canada platform that enables the real-time detection and removal of microplastics using advanced materials, sensors, and AI. This work supports more efficient monitoring, improved identification of pollution sources, and contributes to Canada’s goal of reducing plastic waste.

WIN Day 2026 was particularly impactful as it combined the WIN Research Celebration with the main event, uniting recognition and research sharing into a single platform. A key highlight was the presentation of the WIN Research Leader Awards, honoring seven outstanding researchers—Travis Craddock, Emmanuel Ho, Milad Kamkar, Kevin Musselman, Hamed Shahsavan, Roderick Slavcev, and Yimin A. Wu—for their excellence and contributions to advancing research.

Yamagata University has joined the N4SNano network, strengthening global collaboration in nanoscience and advanced materials research.