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.

Dr. Larry Pershin, Manager and Research Associate at the Centre for Advanced Coating Technologies, spray-coats a thin layer of anti-viral copper onto a fabric surface. (Photo: Daria Perevezentsev)

Anti-viral copper coatings could help slow transmission of COVID-19

September 1, 2020

Professor Javad Mostaghimi (MIE) and his team are using their coating expertise to enhance the functionality of face masks

In this rendering of the enzyme chondroitinase ABC, point mutations are represented by red balls. This re-engineered form of the enzyme is more stable and more active than the wild type and could be used to help reverse nerve damage caused by spinal cord injury or stroke. (From Hettiaratchi, O’Meara et al., 2020. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abc6378 This work is licensed under CC BY-NC)

Re-engineered enzyme could help reverse damage from spinal cord injury and stroke

August 24, 2020

A team led by Professor Molly Shoichet has modified an enzyme from bacteria to promote regrowth of nerve tissue

Professor Aimy Bazylak is this year’s winner of the McLean Award from the Connaught Fund and the McLean endowment. (Photo: Roberta Baker)

McLean Award recipient Aimy Bazylak is creating new technologies for sustainable energy

August 21, 2020

Funding will enhance a research program in fuel cells and electrolyzers, which can provide low-emission electricity infrastructure

A precision flight-control test in wind with a hexacopter drone from Professor Steven Waslander‘s (UTIAS) lab. Waslander will use the funding to acquire the latest in motion-capture technology in order to develop next-generation drones. (Photo courtesy of Steven Waslander)

Five U of T Engineering projects receive funding boost for state-of-the-art research tools

August 19, 2020

Motion-capture equipment to explore and develop robust autonomous drones is among five infrastructure projects receiving funding support

In this simulation, atoms of five different chemical elements within nanoparticle are represented by different coloured spheres. A computer algorithm developed at U of T Engineering analyzes thousands of possible geometric configurations of these elements in order to predict which ones will have the best performance as industrial catalysts. (Image courtesy Zhuole Lu)

U of T Engineering researchers use machine learning to design smarter industrial catalysts

August 18, 2020

Team led by Chandra Veer Singh (MSE) has created an algorithm that accurately simulates catalysts made of five different metals

Nick Mitrousis is a recent PhD graduate from the lab of University Professor Molly Shoichet (ChemE, BME). Mitrousis and Shoichet have just published a paper that describes a new strategy for repairing eye damage caused by conditions such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) or retinitis pigmentosa. (Photo: Mindy Ngyuen)

U of T Engineering researchers develop cell injection technique that could help reverse vision loss

August 13, 2020

A team led by Professor Molly Shoichet has demonstrated the first co-injection of both retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) cells and photoreceptor cells in a mouse model of blindness.

Bipasha Goyal (Year 3 EngSci, Biomedical Option) conducts research on a protein that could fight vision loss by encouraging the growth of photoreceptor cells in the eye. She is one of the dozens of students presenting at this year’s Undergraduate Engineering Research Day, held online August 14, 2020. (Photo: Carter Teal)

‘A world of possibilities’: U of T Engineering undergraduate students host virtual summer research conference

August 10, 2020

Undergraduate Engineering Research Day (UnERD) 2020, to be held online August 14, features participants from across Canada and beyond

Researchers in Professor Warren Chan’s (BME) lab. Ben Ouyang (second from top left) and team, under the supervision of Chan (top left), discovered the dose threshold that improves drug delivery to tumours. (Photo courtesy of Ben Ouyang)

How to get more cancer-fighting nanoparticles to where they are needed

August 10, 2020

Study shows that by injecting above a certain threshold of nanoparticles, the tumour delivery improves vastly, from 0.7 percent to 12 percent

A crowd spills along Bloor street after a transit disruption in November 2009. U of T Engineering research have designed an algorithm that they say can more efficiently dispatch buses to deal with downed subway lines. (Photo: Sweetsop, via Flickr)

Is there a better way for transit systems to deal with service disruptions?

August 5, 2020

U of T Engineering research aims to optimize the deployment of shuttle buses to replace downed rail service

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