Welcome to Systems Design Engineering at the University of Waterloo

The Department of Systems Design Engineering is a globally unique interdisciplinary department hosting flexible and innovative programs.  In addition to our new Biomedical Engineering program, Systems Design remains committed to Human Factors, Mechatronics, and Societal and Environmental Systems.

News

  1. May 25, 2023Profs receive top Ontario engineering prizes

    Systems design engineering professors Dr. John McPhee and Dr. Alexander Wong have been awarded top prizes from Ontario’s leading engineering professional society. 

    The Ontario Professional Engineers Awards (OPEA), released by the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE) annually, recognize engineers who have made outstanding contributions to their profession and communities. 

  2. May 16, 2023A Canadian Perspective on Responsible AI

    Dr. Alexander Wong, Professor of Systems Design Engineering and Canada Research Chair offered his expertise on artificial intelligence to a Canadian government report entitled, "A Canadian Perspective on Responsible AI". The report aims to provide guidelines and principles on responsible AI.

  3. May 9, 2023Empathy in the engineering classroom

    Understanding student experience is a key to better learning outcomes, say engineering instructors

    Teaching and learning in engineering and other STEM disciplines can sometimes seem to be impersonal, in the sense that the subject matter is highly technical, and the focus is often on demonstrating discrete competencies.

Read all news

Events

  1. May 30, 2023Decarbonizing Transportation: Policy Instruments and Impacts with Dr. Mark Purdon

    Modeling the Effect of Different Policy Mixes in the Transportation Sector on Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions and Transportation Fuel Mixes

    This seminar presents the preliminary results from a techno-economic modeling exercise to assess the effects of different policy instruments and their combination on efforts to decarbonize the tran

  2. June 6, 2023Tip of the iceberg: a systems approach to understanding food insecurity in northern Canada

    Northern Canada is home to approximately 120 remote Indigenous communities where the only way in or out is by air. The price of food, especially nutritious or perishable foods, can be extreme—a typical household of two adults and two children spends an average of $2,800 on food per month. Unsurprisingly, between 24 and 68% of each community experiences some form of food insecurity compared to the Canada-wide average of 13%.

  3. July 11, 2023SOMMeRS: Southern Ontario Medical MicroRobotics Symposium

All upcoming events