William Owen, PhD, PEng

• robotics, trajectory planning, motion planning, modeling, robotic machining, friction, Mechatronics

Research interests include engineering education and strategies and skills for academic success. Other research interests include mobile-robotic manipulators, multi-armed robotic systems, trajectory planning, and modeling and simulation of mechatronic systems.

• 2005, Doctorate Mechanical Engineering, University of Toronto, Canada

• 2001, Master's Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Canada

• 1990, Bachelor's Engineering Physics, Mechanical Option, University of British Columbia, Canada

• Associate Chair Undergraduate Studies 2021 - present

• Associate Director First Year Engineering 2009 - 2021

• Professional Engineers of Ontario

• GENE 101 - Strategies and Skills for Academic Success
  • Taught in 2020, 2021
• ME 200A - Seminar
  • Taught in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
• ME 200B - Seminar
  • Taught in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
• ME 300A - Seminar
  • Taught in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
• ME 300B - Seminar
  • Taught in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
• ME 360 - Introduction to Control Systems
  • Taught in 2023, 2024, 2025
• ME 400A - Seminar
  • Taught in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
• ME 400B - Seminar
  • Taught in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
• MTE 380 - Mechatronics Engineering Design Workshop
  • Taught in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
• MTE 481 - Mechatronics Engineering Design Project
  • Taught in 2024
• MTE 482 - Mechatronics Engineering Project
  • Taught in 2025

* Only courses taught in the past 5 years are displayed.

• A. H. Kashani, W. S. Owen, N. Himmelman, P. D. Lawrence, and R. A. Hall, Laser Scanner-Based End Effector Tracking and Joint Variable Extraction for Heavy Machinery, International Journal of Robotics Research, 1338, 2010

• D. M. Maijer, W. S. Owen, R. A. Vetter, An Investigation of Predictive Control for Aluminum Wheel Casting via a Virtual Process Model, Journal of Materials Processing Technology, 1965, 2009

• W. S. Owen, E. A. Croft, and B. Benhabib, Stiffness Optimization for Two-Armed Robotic Sculpting, Industrial Robot: An International Journal, 46, 2008

• W. S. Owen, E. A. Croft, and B. Benhabib, On-Line Trajectory Resolution for Two-Armed Systems with Conflicting Performance Criteria, Mechanism & Machine Theory, 949, 2009

• W. S. Owen, E. A. Croft, and B. Benhabib, A Multi-Arm Robotic System for Optimal Sculpting, Journal of Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing, 92, 2008

• W. S. Owen and E. A. Croft, The Reduction of Stick-Slip Friction in Hydraulic Actuators, IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, 362, 2003