Ranked among the top 50 engineering schools worldwide, Waterloo Engineering is committed to leading engineering education and research.
We are the largest engineering school in Canada, with 10,898 enrolled in 2025, and expansive range of state -of- the -art, future ready labs powered by industry and government funding. In 2024/25, external research funding from Canadian and international partners exceeded $103 million, up $24 million from prior year, this strong growth is reflective of our extensive industry partnerships and the excellence of our engineering research programs.
News
Donor powers graduate research in embodied AI research
The Tang Family Foundation, a charitable fund within the Philantra Foundation, has invested $500,000 in the University of Waterloo’s Data and Artificial Intelligence Institute (Waterloo.AI) to support graduate research in embodied artificial intelligence (AI) through student scholarships.
The inaugural recipients, eight students from the faculties of Engineering and Math, have received $15,000 each to help them focus on their work in embodied intelligence — AI that senses and acts in real environments.
Researcher earns prestigious international prize for fire suppression breakthrough
New insights into how chemical additives can dramatically improve water mist fire suppression have earned a University of Waterloo researcher one of the highest honours in combustion science.
Dr. Vinny Gupta, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering and director of Waterloo's Fire Research Laboratory, received the Silver Combustion Medal from The Combustion Institute for research that reveals how chemically enhanced water mist systems suppress large turbulent fires more effectively than water alone.
Alum company is taking off with pilotless plane ambitions
An autonomous aircraft company co-founded by an alumnus of Waterloo Engineering has grown from modest beginnings to the point where it has contracts and repeat sales with multiple agencies of the Canadian government.
Waterloo-based Ribbit, whose chief operating officer is alum Jeremy Wang (PhD ’23, mechanical and mechatronics engineering), is on a mission to bring efficient, reliable transportation to the world’s most remote locations.
Events
SOMMeRS (Southern Ontario Microrobotics in Medicine Research Symposium)
SOMMeRS is a celebration of over 23 years of medical microrobotics research
with pioneers in the field. The symposium will shine a spotlight on the
growing multidisciplinary field of medical nano/microrobotics in our
community at Waterloo and neighbouring cities in Southern Ontario. This is a
great opportunity for active researchers in microrobotics and related topics
to connect and share their progress and challenges.
Economic Briefing with Professor Larry Smith
This October 1, Waterloo Engineering invites you to join us in Toronto for an evening reception and lecture with Professor Larry Smith. The event marks Smith’s remarkable 45-year career at the University where he specializes in forecasting and the economics of innovation.
This event is part of Waterloo Engineering's annual alumni lecture series exploring the forces shaping our global future. This year's focus on economic futures connects to the University of Waterloo's Global Futures vision — a framework for addressing the defining challenges of our time.