Research news

Learn more about the latest discoveries and innovations from the U of T Engineering community. Our researchers are developing new ways of capturing and storing clean energy, medical devices that can save and extend lives, smarter ways to design and build cities and much more.

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‘You don’t find out what you’re capable of just by thinking’: Meet Professor Parinaz Naseri

Naseri (ECE) is a University of Toronto alumna whose research sits at the intersection of electromagnetic engineered materials and machine learning

Meagan Flus managing data collection at a hackathon in 2024. (photo submitted by Meagan Flus)

How hackathons can serve as a ‘living laboratory’ for studying engineering design team dynamics

Graduate student Meagan Flus (MIE PhD 2T6) used 24-hour observation to analyze conflict on design teams — and how to navigate it

A person sits on a bench with greenery behind them.

U of T Engineering student integrates Indigenous perspectives into the operation of small, modular nuclear reactors

MIE graduate student James Ropotar is exploring ways to improve communication, workforce development and community engagement in emerging energy projects

University of Toronto researchers Karl Wagner (ChemE PhD candidate), left, and Professor Milica Radisic (ChemE, BME) found that tiny particles released by immune cells help blood vessels form in lab‑grown human heart tissue. (photo courtesy of BME)

Tiny immune cell particles help blood vessels grow in lab-made human heart tissue

U of T Engineering researchers shed light on how the heart may naturally support repair of damaged tissue

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How a life-altering brain surgery inspired Nilou Hashemi’s research into new techniques that could enhance neurological recovery

U of T Engineering PhD graduate studies how the brain processes movement in hopes of developing better rehabilitation techniques for a wide range of patients

four people stand in front of a research poster. One holds a bowl containing pieces of cacti.

This cactus-based material could help improve rainwater harvesting for communities across rural Mexico

U of T Engineering undergraduates partnered with Isla Urbana, a local NGO, to find a sustainable alternative to the waterproofing chemical product currently in use

Students in Professor Karl Peterson’s lab examine concrete samples from the Gordie Howe International Bridge. Left to right: Wisdom Okoh, Katia Ossetchkina, Professor Karl Peterson and Amy Montgomery. (photo by Phill Snel)

This team of CivMin researchers is studying the Gordie Howe International Bridge — down to the microscopic level

Evaluating and verifying concrete components of the new cross-border bridge is airy stuff, with researchers counting on bubbles within

Alex Kurk (MechE 2T6), left, is the 2026 winner of the Troost ILead Difference Maker Award. Sanjay Malaviya, right, is the donor for this award. Malaviya holds one of the 3D-printed interfaces designed by Kurk to help people with low vision navigate software user interfaces. (photo by Tyler Irving)

Solutions for people with low vision helped Alex Kurk earn the 2026 Troost ILead Difference Maker Award

Kurk used design courses, research placements and a startup company to advance his vision for tactile, 3D representations of user interfaces for software programs

Professor Nicolas Papernot (ECE) and his collaborators showed that publicly accessible AI models can be used to power a worm that adapts its strategy as it spreads. (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

U of T researchers demonstrate AI worm could target any online device

The research was conducted in a secure digital lab with the goal of helping the cybersecurity community prepare for an imminent threat