News

Establishing and supporting innovative research projects is an important priority for the University of Waterloo. The Canadian Foundation for Innovation’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund has recognized four Faculty of Science researchers to embarking upon research or technology development that is innovative, high quality and meets international standards.

From using microbes to breakdown contaminates in landfills to learning how to conserve our amphibian populations in the face of climate change, the Government of Ontario has awarded three Waterloo Science researchers $140,000 each to advance ‘Ontario made’ research and innovation. 

Early Researcher Awards 

Researchers from the Department of Physics and Astronomy and Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) have developed a method to simplify the analysis of quantum communication protocols compatible with existing telecommunications infrastructure.

Professor Jozef Nissimov was awarded the $10,000 USD Norma J. Lang Fellowship to investigate viruses associated with harmful algal blooms in Canadian lakes. 

Last week, the Water Institute announced the results of their 2021 seed grant competition. Professor Andrea Brookfield from the Department of Earth and Environmental Science is leading one of the projects, which aims to develop a framework to make decisions about groundwater extraction in agricultural settings. 

Shayan Majidy, a PhD candidate in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, has earned the prestigious Vanier Scholarship award for his research achievements and his work in quantum computing education.

Congratulations to Laura Neary and Hannah Thibault who have been chosen as recipients of the 2021 Weston Family Awards in Northern Research!

Funded by the Weston Family Foundation (formerly The W. Garfield Weston Foundation), these annual awards are some of the most prestigious in the country for students pursuing a master’s degree, a doctoral degree or postdoctoral fellowship.

As campus is beginning to open more widely, identifying asymptomatic COVID-19 cases becomes more important to help minimize the spread of the virus on campus. Faculty of Science researchers are looking to track the effectiveness of a non-invasive, saliva-based rapid test, while simultaneously testing asymptomatic individuals on campus. 

Researchers have designed a device that delivers two medications that help stop HIV transmission.

Although condom usage is the best strategy for preventing HIV transmission, the researchers are working to design a device that can be used by sex workers and in situations where women are not in a position to negotiate condom use.

New research is showing that some tiny catalysts being considered for industrial-scaled environmental remediation efforts may be unstable during operation.

Chemists from the University of Waterloo studied the structures of complex catalysts known as “nanoscale electrocatalysts” and found that they are not as stable as scientists once thought. When electricity flows through them during use, the atoms may rearrange. In some cases, the researchers found, electrocatalysts degrade completely.