Sustainable Futures

Four Indigenous students at the University of Waterloo are the recipients of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) awards. The $392,000 in funding supports research in the Faculties of Arts, Environment and Health and bring together Traditional Knowledge and western science.  

Chemical engineering researchers at the University of Waterloo have joined forces to take on a pressing environmental problem by using synthetic biology to turn plastic waste into valuable resources.

The multidisciplinary group is working together to review and identify strategies that leverage synthetic biology, microbial engineering and engineering design to degrade and upcycle plastic waste.

Canada has a marine coastline twice as long as any other country and shares four Great Lakes with the United States. A new report warns that without coordinated planning, coastal communities face increasing flooding and erosion as climate change accelerates.

As Global Entrepreneurship Week 2025 begins, we’re spotlighting 10 standout entrepreneurs from the University of Waterloo — students and alumni who are challenging norms, redefining industries and building a better future. These innovators are not only making waves in their respective fields but are also setting the pace for what’s next for society, health, technology, the economy and sustainability. 

The world has converged on Belém, Brazil’s gateway to the Amazon, to sharpen climate commitments and move from promises to implementation. It’s all happening at the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).  

Contrary to popular belief, new research finds that the use of artificial intelligence has a minimal effect on global greenhouse gas emissions and may actually benefit the environment and the economy.

For their study, researchers from the University of Waterloo and the Georgia Institute of Technology combined data on the U.S. economy with estimates of AI use across industries to determine the environmental fallout if AI use continues its current trajectory.

The solution to Canada’s housing crisis seems simple: build more affordable homes fast. But like many real-world solutions, that’s easier said than done.  

Four researchers at the University of Waterloo have been awarded $3.95 million in funding to support their research as part of the illustrious Canada Research Chairs (CRC) program.   

This year, the CRC program is investing more than $198 million to support new and renewed Chairholders. Through the program, up to $311 million each year is invested to attract and retain some of the world’s most accomplished and promising minds.