Engineering Microcomputing Facilities - ANNOUNCEMENTS

�鶹�� researchers receive $14 million in SSHRC funding for 62 projects focusing on societal challenges

�鶹�� — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 17:08:07 +0000

Topics include youth agency through video games and entrepreneurship education in India.

�鶹��-led study could help event organizers prevent crowd crushes and stampedes

�鶹�� — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 13:57:53 +0000

�鶹�� researchers have found that dangerous crowd conditions leading to surges and stampedes may not emerge suddenly, but instead develop gradually, as repeated physical contact and pushing may accumulate and become synchronized among nearby individuals.

Recognizing how these conditions arise could help organizers strengthen security, site management and evacuation planning, reducing the likelihood of injuries during large-scale public events.

Biodesign Team Publishes New Research Paper

�鶹�� — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 15:39:04 +0000

A new paper from last year's Biodesign team has been published. We are pleased to see that the publication includes acknowledgements for BIEN 390, the course instructor, and the lab staff for their support and inspiration during the early ideation and development of the project. Congratulations to the team on this achievement! Read more here.

122 �鶹�� research projects awarded $30 million in NSERC Discovery Grants funding

�鶹�� — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 17:43:39 +0000

Funding supports bold ideas across natural sciences and engineering disciplines at �鶹��, in fields ranging from ophthalmology and physics to music research and electrical engineering.

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) has awarded 122 �鶹�� research projects funding from its Discovery Grants competition for a total investment of $30 million.

�鶹�� researchers create a device that behaves like a single neuron

�鶹�� — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 13:17:52 +0000

�鶹�� researchers have developed a light-detecting nanoscale structure that mimics how a neuron processes information. The neuron-like behaviour emerges from the materials themselves, reducing the energy demand associated with similar devices that rely on circuits or software.

Instead of capturing data first and processing it elsewhere, the device senses and interprets light in the same place, similarly to how the eye processes visual information.

�鶹�� Department of Bioengineering launches its first Newsletter

�鶹�� — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 13:29:08 +0000

We are delighted to share the inaugural edition of The �鶹�� Department of Bioengineering Newsletter. From groundbreaking research and student achievements, to new programs and community initiatives, this issue highlights the many ways our department continues to grow and innovate.

Future editions will be shared annually each June.

�鶹�� named as presenting partner of team representing Canada at 2027 Venice Architecture Biennale

�鶹�� — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:57:17 +0000

Associate Professor

Faculty Promotions and Tenure

�鶹�� — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 17:44:17 +0000

The department is delighted to announce that three faculty members: professors Codruta Ignea, Natalie Reznikov and Caroline Wagner, have been awarded tenure and promoted to the rank of Associate Professor, effective June 1, 2026.

Novel origami pattern turns flat sheets into load-bearing 3D technology

�鶹�� — Thu, 21 May 2026 13:58:09 +0000

�鶹�� researchers have discovered a new way to fold flat sheets into smooth, curved shells that can switch from floppy and flexible to stiff and load-bearing on demand. By designing a special origami pattern and threading cable-like elements through it, they can control the material’s final three-dimensional shape and how rigid it becomes. The result, a “doubly curved lens box,” could advance the technology of such objects as temporary emergency tents, morphing robots and smart fabrics, the researchers said.

Lab workshops held for CEGEP students

�鶹�� — Thu, 14 May 2026 18:36:22 +0000

On April 24th and May 8th, the Department of Bioengineering welcomed Quebec CEGEP students interested in Bioengineering for a lab workshop and recruitment event held at our teaching laboratory. Students gained hands-on experience through experiments led by our Lab technician team and graduate students from Professor Caroline Wagner's research team.

�鶹��’s Bravo Gala shines a spotlight on research excellence

�鶹�� — Thu, 14 May 2026 16:18:30 +0000

At event honouring 116 winners of major awards, keynote speaker and SSHRC Gold Medal recipient Myriam Denov emphasized the importance of listening.

�鶹�� celebrated more than 100 researchers at the 21^st edition of Bravo, a gala event May 7 honouring the winners of major provincial, national and international research prizes and awards in 2025.

Provost honours 31 �鶹�� professors for exceptional research achievements

�鶹�� — Wed, 13 May 2026 18:00:18 +0000

The 2026 cohort of Distinguished James �鶹�� Professors, James �鶹�� Professors and William Dawson Scholars embody ‘the very best of our academic community’.

Provost and Executive Vice-President (Academic) Angela Campbell has named 31 �鶹�� professors as Distinguished James �鶹�� Professors, James �鶹�� Professors or William Dawson Scholars. The internal awards recognize exceptional research achievements.

�鶹�� awarded 16 new or renewed Canada Research Chairs

�鶹�� — Wed, 13 May 2026 17:51:34 +0000

From fundamental physics to child well-being, �鶹�� researchers advance discovery across disciplines

�鶹�� has been awarded $18.1 million in federal funding to support 16 Canada Research Chairs – six new and 10 renewed.

$1.25 million for �鶹�� research from the New Frontiers in Research Fund

�鶹�� — Wed, 13 May 2026 17:34:01 +0000

Federal fund will support transformative high risk, high reward research across engineering, science, and medicine at �鶹��.

�鶹�� researchers’ sustainable construction method aims to improve earthquake safety

�鶹�� — Mon, 11 May 2026 14:49:54 +0000

Researchers at �鶹�� are carrying out large‑scale tests of a new timber-steel structural system designed to help buildings better withstand earthquakes. Early results suggest the system performs well under simulated earthquake forces, offering a potential path toward safer, more sustainable construction in Quebec and beyond.

A promising new way to transplant cells could lead to a better treatment for Type 1 diabetes

�鶹�� — Thu, 07 May 2026 15:04:12 +0000

Researchers at �鶹�� and the Research Institute of the �鶹�� Health Center (RI-MUHC) have developed a novel device to transplant insulin-producing cells that integrates directly with existing blood vessels in the body. The technology, which showed promising results in preclinical trials, aims to overcome key challenges of emerging long-term cell-based treatments for Type 1 diabetes. As well as serving as an artificial pancreas, it potentially could be used to replace or support the function of other organs.

�鶹�� researchers engineer faster, more effective blood clots

�鶹�� — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 14:32:13 +0000

Researchers at �鶹�� have developed a rapid way to engineer blood clots that stop severe bleeding and support tissue healing more effectively. Their technique, called “click clotting,” links red blood cell surface proteins through a chemical reaction, resulting in a biocompatible clot that is 13 times more resistant to fracturing and four times more adhesive than natural blood clots. The team said the method could be used to develop life-saving biomaterials to help control severe bleeding, as well as benefit people with clotting disorders.

Non-producing oil and gas wells emit microbial methane at rates 1,000 times higher than previously estimated

�鶹�� — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 14:52:18 +0000

Microbial methane leaking from non-producing oil and gas wells is being emitted at rates about 1,000 times higher than previously estimated, according to a new study led by �鶹�� researchers.

Sustainability and Synthetic Biology Conference, April 11

�鶹�� — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 17:29:32 +0000

The 4^th edition of the Sustainability and Synthetic Biology Conference will take place on April 11. The event will feature BIEN 580 students Case Study Projects that apply synthetic biology to solve real-world problems in health, food security and the environment, as well as guest speakers who will showcase cutting-edge academic research and innovative startups. The conference provides a professional forum for joining undergraduate and graduate students to gain visibility and receive feedback from peers and experts in the fields of biology and engineering.

�鶹�� researchers build the best light-powered, room-temperature computer yet

�鶹�� — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 14:49:57 +0000

�鶹�� and Queen’s University researchers have built an improved version of a computer that uses light to solve extremely hard problems more quickly and at larger scale than existing systems, without the need for cryogenic cooling.

�鶹�� researchers develop quick test that stands to curb antimicrobial resistance

�鶹�� — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:48:47 +0000

�鶹�� researchers have developed a diagnostic system capable of identifying bacteria –and determining which antibiotics can stop them – in just 36 minutes, a major advance in the global effort to curb antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Current clinical testing methods typically take 48 to 72 hours, leaving physicians without timely guidance.

The researchers say this innovation arrives at a critical moment due to the urgency of the AMR crisis, which arises from bacteria developing resistance to antibiotics.