Electrical and computer engineers shape the future through innovation. They develop and improve systems that serve everyday needs of society spanning from high-voltage engineering and sustainable energy, to breakthroughs in wireless technology. Our faculty and students do everything from creating low-cost digital x-ray imagers to combat tuberculosis in developing countries, to building real-time embedded systems to advance the design and reliability of commercial products. The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) is founded on leading engineering education and research, a world-renowned co-operative study program, and a bold history of innovation. Waterloo Engineering is ranked among the top 50 engineering schools in the world, our ECE department is committed to sustaining that excellence in our areas of research while venturing into growing areas of opportunity. We attract the best and brightest students and faculty from around the globe, and our graduates are recruited worldwide by leading engineering firms, corporations, government agencies, and research-intensive universities. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree is ideal for students pursuing a career in fundamental or applied research in academia, government, or corporate environments.
The Power and Energy Systems Group is one of the largest power-research groups in North America covering a wide range expertise - practically all areas of power engineering. The main research sub-areas of concentration are: power systems (including economics, operations, stability, control, dynamics, etc.), power distribution systems, power quality, high voltage engineering, electrical insulation, applications into biotechnology and nanotechnology, power electronics, and drives. In recent years, faculty have been extensively involved in research on integration of distributed generation resources, particularly renewable, with the grid, and various issues on smart grids. The research group is comprised of faculty members with well-established international reputations. Of the group's core faculty members, most are full professors. The research group members contribute actively within the Waterloo Institute of Sustainable Energy (WISE) initiative. The research group has unique research laboratories and computational facilities including a modern equipped High Voltage Laboratory, a Real-time Simulator facility, a Power Electronics Laboratory and large-scale computational facilities in power systems.
