New initiatives for industrial and international partnerships are enabling Waterloo engineers to develop strategic research collaborations in areas such as wireless communications, the mobile internet, additive manufacturing, advanced robotics, biomedical engineering and sustainable energy.
The Engineering Research Office (ERO) proactively builds relationships with funding agencies, potential sponsors and other stakeholders, pairing the university’s leading engineering researchers with government and industry, to advance new technologies to improve the human condition.
Waterloo Engineering maintains research partnerships with close to 800 Canadian companies and 300 companies internationally, targeting strategic research partnerships with leading global universities.
Several Senate-approved research centres, including the Centre for Advanced Trenchless Technology, the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy, the Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research and the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology form part of Waterloo Engineering’s commitment to research excellence.
Areas of Concentration
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Controls and precision tooling, lightweight materials, structural crashworthiness, advanced materials.
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Digital design and fabrication technologies, environmental issues and new material economies, globalization, urbanization.
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Bio-compatibility and in-vitro modelling, human movement, ergonomics, wearable technology.
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Advancing IoT research to connect and exchange data.
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Nano-biosystems, nano-electronics, nano-instrumentation, nano-materials.
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Robotics and machine intelligence, machine learning.
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Human machine interaction, autonomous robotics, rahabilitation and assistive robotics, micro and nano robitics, and sensing and control.
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Transporation networks, smart buildings, smart communities, and sensors and devices.
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News
Alum steps into University leadership role
The University of Waterloo has appointed an alum from the Faculty of Engineering as interim vice-president, academic and provost effective July 1, 2025.
Dr. Thomas Duever earned his bachelor, masters and PhD degrees in Chemical Engineering from Waterloo. After three years as a research engineer in the pulp and paper industry, he returned to the University as a faculty member for 24 years.
Co-op student excels at designing sustainable buildings
A University of Waterloo co-op student played a pivotal role in advancing sustainable building practices at a local consulting and engineering firm that specializes in building science.
Recent Waterloo Engineering alum Nicholas Sterner (BASc ’24, architectural engineering) completed three co-op work terms at RDH Building Science Inc. Sterner made significant contributions to projects aimed at enhancing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reaffirming the value of co-op for students and employers.
Alum startup secures $14M to help clients with patents using AI
A startup company co-founded by a Waterloo Engineering alumnus has secured $14 million in new backing to help clients with all aspects of intellectual property (IP).
New York-based Patlytics, which was co-founded by Paul Lee (BASc ’14, chemical engineering), has now raised $21 million in funding since its launch just a year ago.