Research themes

Elevating Research and Innovation Impact

Hyperconnected World and Our Digital Future

  • Smart sensing, communications, and robotics/mechatronics
  • Wireless networks, IoT, and interconnectivity
  • Immersive and neuro-ergonomical user interaction through VR/AR/MR and robots
  • Integration of positioning and navigation
  • UAVs/UGVs, transportation, and aerospace systems
  • Fluid dynamics
  • AI/ML architectures, federated/reinforcement learning, and ethical AI/ML
  • Data science, data integration, and security/privacy
  • Software practices, algorithmic bias, and user experiences
  • Embedded hardware/software design, software security, and network security
  • Defense, critical infrastructure, and networked applications
  • Sensors, navigation, positioning, and wireless localization
  • Earth observation and mapping
  • Geographic informatics, imaging metrology, and land management
  • Advanced sensors and materials, quantum devices and computing
  • Measurement solutions for various frequencies and materials
  • Sensors and materials integration for imaging and mapping advancement

Solutions for Health

  • Point of care devices
  • Biometrics and wearables
  • Diagnostic Imaging
  • Microbiome editing
  • Cell-based therapies
  • Immunotherapy
  • Functional materials
  • Active materials
  • Cell and tissue biomechanics
  • Human and animal biomechanics
  • Human/computer/robot Interaction
  • Machine learning for biomedical applications
  • Smart wearables and passive sensing
  • Digital therapeutics and adaptive interventions
  • Medical and rehabilitation robotics
  • Virtual care models

Engineering for a Sustainable Future

  • Infrastructure: sustainable, reliable, and resilient infrastructure addressing climate, environmental, social, and economic challenges
  • Sustainable construction: environmentally responsible materials, energy-efficient techniques, and innovative technologies to minimize ecological impact
  • Resilient design: nature-based solutions to withstand disasters, climate change, and disruptions
  • Sustainable transportation: active mobility, electrification, alternative fuels, and disruptive technologies
  • Technological integration: IoT, big data, and predictive analytics for improved mobility, efficiency, and urban network resilience
  • Urban planning priorities: emission reductions, improved accessibility, and integration of bike lanes, sidewalks, and pedestrian-friendly spaces
  • Environmental restoration: soil and waste management for land restoration
  • Air pollution mitigation: emission reduction, carbon capture, and advanced monitoring
  • Sustainable infrastructure: nature-based solutions for pollution control and restoration
  • Technological advancements: hydrological modelling, remote sensing, and predictive analytics improve water availability assessments and infrastructure vulnerability analysis
  • Integrated water management: open-source modelling tools, AI/ML applications, and real-time monitoring enable informed decision-making
  • Efficient water treatment: Advanced technologies enhance pollutant fate and transport understanding, improving industrial and municipal wastewater management
  • Technological advancements: sensor technology and predictive modelling are used for environmental assessments and risk management
  • Disaster preparedness: climate change adaptation strategies are employed for proactive disaster planning
  • Environmental monitoring: environmental changes and climate impacts are assessed through monitoring

Energy

  • Improving efficiency and sustainability in oil and gas
  • Advancing wind, solar, and bioenergy technologies
  • Developing advanced materials for energy storage, generation, conversion, and carbon capture
  • Energy-related subsurface activities, including geothermal, CO₂ storage, hydrogen generation, and subsurface thermal storage, critical minerals extraction
  • Grid modernization and smart grids, electrification of transportation and building energy systems, industrial electrification
  • System-level approaches to integrating technology, economics, and policy for a global energy transition

Advanced Materials and Manufacturing

  • Computational mechanics
  • Design of lightweight systems
  • Energy infrastructure
  • Aerospace materials and structures
  • Intelligent design and manufacturing
  • Metals and alloys
  • Polymers and polymer composites for the aerospace Industry
  • Ceramics, glasses, and concrete
  • Colloids and Interfaces
  • Nanomaterials
  • Surface modification techniques
  • Industry 5.0
  • Robotics and automation
  • Supply chain management
  • Predictive maintenance
  • Advanced manufacturing in aerospace and space structures
  • Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)
  • Optimization techniques
  • Sustainable materials development
  • Additive manufacturing
  • Surface engineering
  • Casting and molding techniques

Engineering Education

  • Focusing on sustainable development goals, environmental justice, regenerative and circular design, and innovative approaches like “Engineering for One Planet”
  • Combining design thinking, regenerative and circular design, capstone projects, and cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, extended reality, and gamification to foster creativity and innovation
  • Highlighting teamwork, leadership skills, innovation, ethics, social entrepreneurship, and career preparation to develop professionals ready for global challenges
  • Addressing systems mapping, complexity analysis, engineering safety, and understanding the interconnectedness of ecological, technological, and social systems
  • Providing core technical skills, problem-solving approaches, and an introduction to foundational mindsets, sustainability, and inclusivity for new engineering students
  • Emphasizing equity in education, anti-racism, multiculturalism, 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion, accessibility, and indigenizing curricula to foster diversity and social justice
  • Exploring curriculum design, active and experiential learning, project/problem-based learning, outcomes-based assessment, and reflective teaching practices
  • Strengthening community partnerships, co-creation, and community-based research to bridge engineering education and research with societal needs