Program Overview

About Nanotechnology Engineering

The Nanotechnology Engineering degree program at the University of Waterloo is a unique program in North America, offered collaboratively by the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering, and the Chemistry department in the Faculty of Science. This program graduates nanotechnology professionals with hands-on materials science, clean-room fabrication, and nanotools experience. Nanotechnology engineers are at the forefront of research and development related to a cluster of technologies that harnesses the unique properties and functions of nanoscale systems.

Program Overview

The program provides students with 24 months of cooperative work experience, preparing them for jobs involving advanced materials, fabrication, and nanobiosystems. The curriculum is carefully designed to develop four main theme areas:

• Nano-engineered materials
  • The synthesis, characterization, and engineering application of advanced materials, including nanocrystalline materials and nanopowders used in electronics and photonics applications, as catalysts in automobiles, in the food and pharmaceutical industries, as membranes for fuel cells, and for industrial-scale polymers.
• Nano-electronics
  • The development of systems and materials that will enable the electronics industry to overcome current technological limits, including a new generation of electronics based on plastics, which is expected to create new markets with applications ranging from smart cards to tube-like computers.
• Nano-biosystems
  • The molecular manipulation of biomaterials and the engineering of nanoscale systems and processes of biological and medicinal interest, such as the targeted delivery of therapeutic agents and the design of DNA, peptide, protein, and cell chips.
• Nano-instruments
  • The development of miniature instruments for measuring atoms or molecules in chemical, clinical, or biochemical analysis; biotechnology for agent detection; and environmental analysis.

Career Prospects

The Nanotechnology Engineering program prepares students to be technological innovators and the next generation of leaders in the new frontier of nanotechnology. Graduates of this program are equipped to pursue careers in various fields, including industry, academia, and startups. The program's focus on cooperative work experience and hands-on learning provides students with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in these careers.