Awards, Honours and Rankings

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) announced close to $51 million in funding today for projects that will strengthen Canada’s quantum research and innovation capacity in alignment with the National Quantum Strategy.

Ten senior student teams from the Faculty of Engineering competed in this year’s Norman Esch Entrepreneurship Awards for Capstone Design, pitching their startup ideas to a panel of judges tasked with awarding $60,000.   

All 10 pitches showcased innovative thinking and entrepreneurial skills. The teams presented creative solutions to challenges ranging from an affordable at-home robot that helps non-verbal autistic children learn how to communicate, to a smart intervention that prevents tennis elbow.

The University of Waterloo community came together to cheer on eight finalist teams as they pitched to a panel of judges and a chock-full room of attendees at the Velocity $5K finals on March 30th in the Black and Gold Room at the University’s Student Life Centre.

This flagship event is the culmination of students’ hard work — from ideation to laying the foundation of their startup.

Quantum science is transforming the ways technology can lead to innovation in health by improving how doctors use tools to measure and determine a health diagnosis at an early stage before symptoms progress into long-term medical issues among patients.

Professors from three faculties at the University of Waterloo have been recognized for their outstanding supervision of graduate students.

Dr. Jonathan Li, Dr. John Long and Dr. David McKinnon are the 2022-2023 recipients of the Award of Excellence in Graduate Supervision, an annual distinction bestowed by Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs in collaboration with the Graduate Student Association.

The University of Waterloo rose three spots in the rankings of the best schools for computer science to take 22nd globally.

In electrical and electronic engineering, Waterloo rose four spots to 29th. Rounding out Waterloo’s best showing in the rankings was a finish of 43rd globally in mathematics.

The rankings are the latest annual release of the QS World University Rankings by Subject, which rank universities globally in 54 academic disciplines.

As a young teacher, the challenges that Jillian Roberts (BA '91) observed in the lives of her students left her with questions about how to help children in difficult circumstances—and led her to a PhD in educational psychology. Today, Roberts builds bridges between academia and the community as a prominent researcher, clinician, community organizer, and compassionate advocate for children’s mental health.

A third culture kid and global citizen, Lehlé Baldé (BA ’13) grew up in eight different countries.

Welcoming Ukrainian refugees, supporting out-of-this-world discoveries and creating more equitable research practices are just a few of the many achievements of the 2022 Co-op Students of the Year.

The University of Waterloo’s Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE) announced the award winners recently in a hybrid in-person and virtual ceremony.