World-class research

Actions from various departments and teams at Waterloo to advance this objective have included, but are not limited to:

2024

• Developed technology to turn seawater into fresh water through solar power that is five times more efficient that current desalination techniques
• Researchers awarded $2.5 million to advance a circular economy by developing new sustainable bioprocesses that can covert waste into valuable commodities
• Developed an inexpensive water-induced electric generator to generate electricity using waste walnut shells and drops of water
• Sustainability Living Lab worked with students on 28 different project topics, across 10 different courses

2023

• Found evidence through satellite data of ocean water intrusion beneath Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier
• Launched new centre for electric vehicle battery research  to advance next-generation electric vehicle battery development
• Awarded nearly $10 million in federal funding for a major initiative to rebuild Canada's pandemic-battered aeronautics sector and position it for a more sustainable future

2022

• Supported Canadian municipalities’ capacity to monitor, measure, and achieve net-zero climate action goal through the Municipal Net-Zero Research Partnership
• Prioritized Sustainable Futures as a key theme and focal point of Waterloo’s long-term strategic vision
• Launched new research institutes, including the Future Cities Institute
• Receive more than $1.3 million to support small modular reactors research
• The Government of Canada's Environmental Damages Fund, administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada, allocated $15.8 million to six research projects to identify solutions to environmental challenges
• Received $15 million in funding to work with Indonesian partners on climate-change adaptation and mitigation strategies in the country

2021

• Led an interdisciplinary team to detect, identify and treat per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – better known as forever chemicals
• Launched the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics
• Part of a prominent global collaborative team utilizing DNA barcoding to support biodiversity science and understand the complex web of life on earth
• Organized the International Workshop on Nanotechnology for a Sustainable Future
• Received $15.5M in funding through Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Climate Action and Awareness Fund
• The Sustainability Living Lab was launched to link academic expertise and capacity with these operational needs, building on a long history of using the campus as a living lab back to the early 1990s; the new iteration will more tightly link operational sustainability initiatives to the University’s academic mission

2020

• Was a founding partner of the University Global Coalition, a key network of global research institutions committed to taking action on the UN Sustainable Development Goals

2019

• Conducted interviews with undergraduate student groups to integrate sustainability within course assignments and reports, as well as masters and PhD research projects
• Installed new technology for temporary submetering to better understand energy consumption of several campus buildings
• A student project team in ARTS 490: The Future of Nature used the campus as an imagination tool for how to integrate nature into buildings and infrastructure, developing mockups of campus spaces to facilitate discussion

2018

• The Office of Research hired a co-op student to further compile information on research strengths, outputs, and funding related to sustainability
• Launched and co-hosted the Sustainable Development Solutions Network Canada, a national collaboration of academic institutions supporting Canada’s advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals
• Dr. Blair Feltmate, from the School of Environment, Enterprise, and Development, was named as chair of the Government of Canada’s expert panel on adapting to climate change
• The Office of Research began developing a report on more detailed bibliometric data across a number of sustainability issue areas and themes
• The Waterloo Climate Institute was approved to shift from a Research Centre to a University Research Centre
• Analyzed faculty research using the lens of the UN Sustainable Development Goals

• An Environment master’s student developed new waste sorting signs and piloted them at nine receptacles on campus to evaluate their effectiveness at improving recycling and reducing contamination, and conducted before/after audits

• An Engineering student group conducted a study and design proposal for Plant Operations on how to reduce the energy costs of the Environment 1 building without negatively impacting the user experience
• An Environment student group conducted a plug load audit of Environment 1, 2, and 3 to evaluate energy draw from appliances and equipment, as well as opportunities to encourage energy efficient behaviours

2017

• Demonstrating leadership as a key partner in one of the largest university-led water research programs in the world, through Global Water Futures
• A student team from the ENBUS 402 capstone course completed an 8 month project to analyze Waterloo’s travel survey data and evaluate infrastructure availability to support walking, cycling, and transit to campus
• Three teams of students from the GEOG 452 course collected data and provided analysis on campus sustainability challenges, including clothing waste/reuse, benchmarking faculty and staff air travel emissions, and creating a plug load inventory for Environment 1