Matt Borland, PhD, P.Eng

Hi! My name is Matt. I'm a Lecturer in the Department of Systems Design Engineering at the University of Waterloo. I have researched musical instrument design and construction during my PhD; taught my students how to build electronic musical interfaces; and co-founded the Waterloo Tape Music Club, a collaborative space for exploring new music. My work has always spanned across disciplines, with many artistic collaborations and projects over the years.

These days I don't know what I'm doing. I feel upside down.
The things I feel we need, more than anything, are good relationships. With each other, with our students, with the people that run this university, with this Land and our Indigenous hosts here in Ontario, with the animals and the water and the trees, with the people and places our work is connected to around the entire planet.

We need to reconnect the web of relationality that the past few years has torn holes in.

We need to understand that acting accountably, and in good relationship, makes you feel good! We don't need to be saviours or leaders; we need to be good neighbours and friends.

We need to build consensus and community. We need to understand that we should be working for the good of this place as a whole, not just for ourselves, or our unit. This will take time. It will be hard and require us to put others before ourselves. We will need to listen to each other, deeply, and with an open heart. Let's do it together. This is the work we need to do. Let's start!

• Music Technology
• Design Methods
• Systems Thinking

• 2014, Doctorate Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo, Canada
• 2009, Master of Applied Science Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo, Canada
• 2006, Bachelor of Applied Science Mechanical Engineering, University of Waterloo, Canada

• BME 161 - Introduction to Biomedical Design
  • Taught in 2020
• BME 252 - Linear Signals and Systems
  • Taught in 2024
• BME 261 - Prototyping, Simulation and Design
  • Taught in 2020
• GENE 499 - Special Topics in Fourth-Year Engineering
  • Taught in 2020
• STV 201 - Society, Technology and Values: Special Topics
  • Taught in 2024
• SYDE 161 - Introduction to Design
  • Taught in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024
• SYDE 252 - Linear Systems and Signals
  • Taught in 2023
• SYDE 261 - Design, Systems, and Society
  • Taught in 2025
• SYDE 361 - Systems Design Methods 1: Needs Analysis and Prototyping
  • Taught in 2020, 2021, 2022
• SYDE 362 - Systems Design Methods 2: Testing, Verification, and Validation
  • Taught in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
• SYDE 461 - Systems Design Capstone Project 1
  • Taught in 2020, 2021, 2022
• SYDE 462 - Systems Design Capstone Project 2
  • Taught in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
• SYDE 600 - Systems Theory, Models, Research & Design
  • Taught in 2023, 2025
• SYDE 660 - Systems Design Graduate Workshop 1
  • Taught in 2024
• SYDE 660A - Systems Design Graduate Workshop 1 - AI and Machine
  • Taught in 2024
• SYDE 660B - Systems Design Graduate Workshop 1 - Biomedical Systems
  • Taught in 2024
• SYDE 660C - Systems Design Graduate Workshop 1 - Human Factors
  • Taught in 2024
• SYDE 660D - Systems Design Graduate Workshop 1 - Mechatronic & Physical Systems
  • Taught in 2024
• SYDE 660E - Systems Design Graduate Workshop 1 - Vision, Image & Signal
  • Taught in 2024

* Only courses taught in the past 5 years are displayed.

• Aliens invade first-year design course