Research

Researchers have created a new a new system that helps Internet users ensure their online data is secure.

The software-based system, called Mitigator, includes a plugin users can install in their browser that will give them a secure signal when they visit a website verified to process its data in compliance with the site’s privacy policy. 

Professor Michael Wallace discusses what we can learn from collecting socio-economic and race-based data on COVID-19.

What kinds of socio-economic or race-based data could be collected right now, and why might they matter in the fight against COVID-19?

Canadian provinces such as Ontario and Quebec should wait several more months before lifting social distancing restrictions, according to the findings of a new mathematical model developed by University of Waterloo researchers.

The new model, called Distancing-SEIRD, indicates that continuing social distancing at the current levels in Ontario and Quebec for six months (until mid-September), could save close to 100,000 lives.

Professor Kristina Llewellyn discusses the issues around equity in access to education that this sudden shift to online home learning has revealed more clearly than ever before.

What does physical distancing mean for equity in education?

In a new study, researchers at the University of Waterloo used a machine learning-based alignment-free approach to accurately and rapidly identify and classify COVID-19 virus genome’s relationship with other viruses.

Unlike alignment-based approaches, the novel method requires no specialized biological knowledge of the organism being assessed or specific genetic annotation, and it can be used to both identify and classify any new organism, including synthetic ones with a high degree of accuracy.

The University of Waterloo has a number of faculty prepared to offer expert commentary on various aspects of COVID-19.

Experts can be contacted directly via email and will be available for phone calls or online video conversations (via various methods, to be confirmed with each expert).

This week, oil futures fell below $0 per barrel. What happened? What is Canada’s plan for helping the industry at home, and will it be effective?

We put these questions to Professor Jatin Nathwani, Executive Director of the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy.

What is happening in the global energy market?  Why are we seeing oil prices below $0 per barrel?

COVID-19 has seen the world retreating indoors. Restrictions on travel, physical interaction and social gathering has resulted in reduced pollution levels and improved air quality around the world — but for how long?

As global COVID-19 lockdowns have us sitting through days of videoconferences, it becomes clear that paying attention online is hard work.

In two new papers, researchers from the University of Waterloo and Microsoft Research explore people’s attentiveness in videoconferences to understand how to make the online meetings more comfortable and effective.