The Nanotechnology Engineering Program at the University of Waterloo is a collaborative program between Chemical Engineering, Electric and Computer Engineering and Chemistry, combining the skillset of all three disciplines.
Our program ranks as number one in Canada for Nanotechnology according to the U.S. News and World Report Best Global Universities.
Nanotechnology Engineering involves materials science and engineering, chemistry, physics, biology, and medicine. 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 hands-on experiential learning
A specialization is available to interested students but not required. There are four specializations in the Nanotechnology Engineering program.
They are: Nanobiosystems, Nanoelectronics, Nanofabrication, and Nanomaterials.
Hear from our alumni about Nanotechnology Engineering at the University of Waterloo
What is NE? Check Out this Animated Video!
Check out this short presentation by one of our students, talking about the undergraduate Nano Engineering Program at UWaterloo!
News
Guo-Xing Miao Director of the NE Program wins the En-Hui Yang Research and Innovation Award
Professor Guo-Xing Miao has won the En-Hui Yang Research and Innovation Award. The En-Hui Yang Award is bestowed annually to an outstanding researcher in the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Engineering.
Miao’s research focuses on the specific spin quantum properties in condensed matter platforms. The precise confinement, transport and manipulation of electrons and ions across nano materials and devices, enriched by their accompanied spin degrees of freedom, allows for advanced information processing in both the quantum and classic realms.
His team synthesizes industrial level quantum materials such as complex spin systems, ion platforms, topological phases, and superconductors—to mass fabricate scalable, wafer-level devices.
His innovation extends to a new company called SpinQ. Miao is one of the founders and science advisors of SpinQ. This company was founded in Waterloo, with all founding members deeply connected with the Institute for Quantum Computing.
Nanotechnology Engineering professor wins two teaching excellence awards
The Nanotechnology Engineering Program is proud to announce that Professor Pendar Mahmoudi is the 2025 recipient of the Faculty Teaching Excellence Award and the Boyce Family Teaching Award.
“I feel truly honored and humbled to win these awards. Getting rewarded for a job I enjoy doing is a blessing. I am extremely thankful for the support of my colleagues in the department who will happily listen to new ideas or issues and offer assistance or advice.”
Mahmoudi’s passion for teaching emerged during her graduate studies at the University of Waterloo. She arrived at the university at just twenty-two, focused on completing her PhD.
Mahmoudi began doing teaching assistant positions during her PhD and soon realized that she enjoyed explaining concepts and helping students understand challenging material. She went on to further develop her skills through instructional courses at the Centre for Teaching Excellence.
Mahmoudi’s teaching philosophy is shaped by her own experiences as a student. She remembers what it feels like to be a student trying to figure out life and stay focused in lectures. With that in mind, she uses a variety of teaching methods.
Nanotechnology Engineering professors ranked among the world's most influential researchers
Professors Aiping Yu and Juewen Liu have been named to this year’s Highly Cited Researchers™ 2025 list recently published by Clarivate. The list highlights the world’s most influential researchers and scientists.
The exclusive list recognizes only researchers who have produced multiple Highly Cited Papers which rank in the top one per cent by citations in their field.
Professor Aiping Yu is a University Research Chair advancing next-generation energy storage by designing new nano-materials for metal-ion batteries. She uses thin, 2D materials, to make these batteries store more energy and deliver power with greater efficiency. As Director of the Applied Carbon Nanotechnology Laboratory, Yu works on improved ways to recycle batteries. Because lithium is becoming harder to obtain, her team is developing methods to recover lithium and other useful materials from old batteries.
