Nanotechnology Engineering involves materials science and engineering, chemistry, physics, biology, and medicine. Nanotechnology discoveries and innovations have advanced biomonitoring devices, medical diagnostic and drug delivery therapies, functional materials, sensors, computers, communications, and sustainable energy materials. Nanotechnology impacts many industries, ranging from medical to pharmaceuticals, electronics to automotive, and communications.
Fun Facts about our Nanotechnology Engineering Program.
- The Nanotechnology Engineering Program was launched in 2005
- This program at the University of Waterloo is the first accredited Nanotechnology Engineering Program in Canada
- There are more than 500 students currently enrolled in our program
- We have a dedicated clean room with multimillion-dollar cutting-edge equipment for hand-on experiential learning
Waterloo offers hands-on laboratories with state-of-the-art equipment to train students to undertake material strength testing, chemical synthesis and investigation, biological sensing, nanoscale object analysis, and work in cleanroom environments.
Nanotechnology Engineering is one of the most interdisciplinary engineering programs and graduates of this program go on to found companies, work in established industries, or continue to graduate studies in Engineering or Science. Nanotechnology offers many paths to a successful future!
Waterloo's Nanotechnology Engineering program is run collaboratively through the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering, and the Chemistry Department in the Faculty of Science.
The top five career sectors that our graduates are employed in are:
- semiconductors and electronics
- software
- healthcare and pharmaceuticals
- manufacturing
- entrepreneurship (start-ups)
Nanotechnology Engineering at UWaterloo
What is NE? Check Out this Animated Video
Learn About our Facilities Watch our Lab Tour Video
Nanotechnology Engineers design integrated circuits
Nanotechnology Engineering and the COVID mRNA Vaccine
News
From NE co-op positions to camera innovation-Alumni shapes the future of camera technology
Darshan Parmar, Class of 2019, works as a Pixel Development Engineer at Apple. He develops innovative new camera technologies that are used by millions of people around the world. He credits a large part of his success to experiences and the connections he made in the Nanotechnology Engineering (NE) Program at U Waterloo. It was another UWaterloo alumnus who referred him to his current job.
The co-op jobs Parmar enjoyed during his undergrad degree were foundational to his career journey. He had an exciting co-op position in Singapore at the National University of Singapore as a research assistant. He worked in optical system development at Lumentum in Ottawa and as an optics specialist at P & P Optica.
Exploring the intersection between nanotechnology engineering and student governance
Nicholas Pfeifle began his journey as a student in the nanotechnology engineering (NE) program at the University of Waterloo in 2018. Pfeifle is part of the graduating class of 2024 and is the newly elected WUSA (Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association) president. Pfeifle reflects on his academic and extracurricular experiences in the NE program, emphasizing the impact they have had on his personal and professional development.
Pfeifle recalls that in the first week of his undergraduate degree in NE 109, Societal and Environmental Impact of Nanotechnology, Professor Howard Siu taught students about the ethical and environmental standards for engineers. Siu’s lecture had a profound effect on Pfeifle. This course on engineering ethics became a cornerstone of Pfeifle's personal philosophy, instilling a deep sense of responsibility and compassion.
Advancing Lightweight Materials: A Journey towards Undergraduate Entrepreneurship
The journey toward aerogel research began for three students in Nanotechnology Engineering’s (NE) third-year Soft Nanomaterials course. The concept which captured the students’ interest was the hierarchical design and assembly of nanomaterials, which involves structuring materials at multiple scales.
“The Soft Nanomaterials course was a really cool course! What stuck with me after the lecture was the idea that nanomaterials can have a hierarchical design with different levels of structure at different scales, from nano- all the way to macro-scale. The idea to achieve extraordinary properties by controlling materials features at different levels was fascinating.” said Anthony Keen, an NE student.
