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
Have questions? Check out our 2024 Ask Me Anything Webinar!
Learn About our Facilities Watch our Lab Tour Video
Nanotechnology Engineers design integrated circuits
What is NE? Check Out this Animated Video!
Nanotechnology Engineering and the COVID mRNA Vaccine
News
Shawn Benedict's Award-Winning Journey in Nanotechnology Engineering and AI
Fourth-year student Shawn Benedict has won the Peggy Jarvie Award, sponsored by the Cooperative Education and Internship Association!
Benedict entered the Nanotechnology Engineering Program with the aim of having a diverse co-op experience to explore multiple options and potential career pathways. Through a co-op in his third year, he attended the prestigious CES conference in Las Vegas, where he was entrusted to meet executives from international companies.
“My varied co-op experience has given me a better appreciation for my program and has really helped me to see all the doors my program opens for me. All these opportunities, connections, and tangible skills have helped solidify my confidence. I know that wherever I am, I will have the ability to thrive,” says Benedict.
The highlight of his co-op experiences was traveling to Norway and working at SINTEF, a nonprofit research organization that collaborates with industry to uncover new discoveries. SINTEF conducts research for industry partners and governments around Europe and beyond.
Fighting Fire with Innovation: Drew Davidson (NE ’11) Tackles Firefighting Gear’s Cancer Risk with Deep Tech Research
Drew Davidson (Class of 2011) is developing innovative materials for creating firefighting gear. These new materials will not degrade and cause occupational cancer as current materials do. The inspiration behind his research is his mother, who has been serving as a firefighter in the Cambridge Fire Department for over 32 years. She urged him to use his engineering background to address this crucial health issue for firefighters.
Davidson’s innovative research has earned him a Deep Tech Scholarship which is a new scholarship, the first of its kind, recently launched by Mary Wells, Dean of the University of Waterloo Faculty of Engineering. The scholarship is designed to help students launch deep tech start-ups.
As a high school student, Davidson had decided to pursue an undergraduate degree in Nanotechnology Engineering (NE) because seemed like a promising and exciting field.
Nanotechnology Engineering program invests in cutting-edge equipment for student use
The Nanotechnology Engineering (NE) program is investing in new cutting-edge equipment for undergraduate student use. The NE program focuses on experiential hands-on learning on the latest equipment for its undergraduate students. The program recently purchased an X-ray diffractometer (XRD) with glancing-incidence capabilities to characterize thin films even down to 100 nanometers thick.
Housed alongside a powder-only XRD instrument in NE’s Davis Centre labs, this new model will serve as an educational resource for undergraduate students in the program. With a price tag of approximately $120,000, the XRD represents a substantial investment in the NE program. This will allow students to access technology which combines research-level capability with hands-on learning.
