Societal Futures

Twenty-two researchers at the University of Waterloo have been awarded more than $10 million to support their research from the Ontario Research Fund (ORF).  

The ORF Research Excellence program provides up to one-third of the total value of a research project with major strategic value to the province.  

Many entrepreneurs build companies to tackle problems they’ve experienced first-hand — and Kurtis McBride (BASc ’04, MASc ’07) is one of them.  

The Waterloo Engineering alum hit upon his startup idea when he was a student on a co-op work placement at a transportation consultancy. The job involved manually counting vehicles, which McBride saw as outdated and inefficient, hindering the urban planning process.  

Climate change is beginning to make early-season cancellations a regular part of winter sport competitions.

As winter sport organizers deal with increasing climate-related problems operating races, a first-of-its-kind study from the University of Waterloo offers athlete and coach insights on how competition organizers can improve the safety, fairness and feasibility of winter sports.

University of Waterloo students and alumni are changing the game by launching companies with global impact for humanity and our planet. Their remarkable achievements have earned them spots on this year’s illustrious Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list.  

The annual list highlights young entrepreneurs who are making a difference in their fields. Waterloo-linked founders were named in artificial intelligence (AI), green tech, education, food and drink and manufacturing categories. 

The University of Waterloo is strengthening its leadership in artificial intelligence (AI) education with two initiatives: an open online AI literacy course for its community and a Waterloo.AI workshop on generative AI in K-12 education. Together, these initiatives highlight the University’s commitment to fostering responsible AI knowledge and shaping a future where AI is thoughtfully understood and applied across all levels of education and society.

Agenek, a pioneering biotech company at Velocity, University of Waterloo’s startup incubator, unveiled a new RNA-based test that provides an unprecedented level of precision in recommending skincare products to consumers.

The skincare test offered by Agenek will provide people with a real-time biological snapshot of the needs of their skin and help them make educated choices, save time and money, and achieve better skin health.

Shahan Salim, a PhD candidate in the School of Public Health Sciences, continues to make strides in advancing air quality research and technology through his participation at the United Nations climate change negotiations, known as COP.

An interdisciplinary research team from the University of Waterloo is building systems that mimic the human brain to improve the power efficiency and performance of artificial neural networks like those used in autonomous vehicle (AV) technology.