The Department of Systems Design Engineering is a globally unique interdisciplinary department with flexible and innovative programs dedicated to the study of complex systems and their design.
Our undergraduate and graduate programs blend engineering, mathematics, and social sciences to equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary to tackle today's and tomorrow's most pressing challenges.
Our Systems Design Engineering program teaches students to create innovative solutions to complex problems by thinking holistically. Learn to consider interactions between various system components, work on design projects, and apply design thinking methodologies to real-world challenges.
Our Biomedical Engineering program provides students with the opportunity to create biomechanic and biomedical devices while relating them to biology and physiology to improve quality of life. Learn to develop tools for medical diagnosis, treatment, and prevention utilizing an engineering systems approach.
News
Keeping autonomous vehicles safe from cyberthreats
Research by Dr. Nasser Lashgarian Azad was featured by the National Research Council of Canada.
$10.5 million gift empowers the future of systems design engineering
Alumni’s generous investment in the University of Waterloo’s Systems Design Engineering Department will equip students for a complex world
Take an experiential, undergraduate-level field course in Ghana, West Africa, intended for students to apply systems design thinking to complex environmental challenges.
Events
Grad Seminar: Pan-Arctic Weekly Sea-Ice Forecasts: A Large-Scale Baseline Study and Meta-Learning Ensemble Model
Seminar by Kiernan McGuigan
Grad Seminar: Advancing Semi-Supervised Domain Adaptive Semantic Segmentation Through Effective Source Integration Strategies
Seminar by Joshua Kurien
Home to Centre for Society, Technology and Values
The Centre for Society, Technology and Values (CSTV) is a uniquely UWaterloo interdisciplinary centre that sets out to explain and examine social aspects of technology and technological change.