Research

Yang Shi holding a mechanical model — Imagine a world where robotic surgery is performed on a patient in Whitehorse—by a doctor located in Victoria. That world is not far off, thanks in part to the ground-breaking work of mechanical engineer Yang Shi, an expert in the long-distance control of machines and electrical systems, also known as networked control systems.

Afzal Suleman with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle — UVic’s Centre for Aerospace Research (CfAR), led by Afzal Suleman, develops Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, and customized payloads are currently undergoing design and testing for a wide variety of applications, such as wildlife monitoring, agriculture, mining exploration using remote sensing technology, and search and rescue.

Yvonne Coady riding a bicycle and holding a computer — Working closely with industry and community partners, computer scientist Yvonne Coady is transforming the way software developers and users tap into the internet. Her work makes advances in computer systems—cloud computing, high-capacity networks, data warehouses and high-performance processors—more readily available to academic and everyday users.

Issa Traoré holding a laptop — As digital technology becomes increasingly integrated and more advanced, so too does the threat to cyber-security. Electrical and computer engineer Issa Traoré and his team are currently working on better security to tackle “botnets”—networks of hacked computers—that can seize control of a computer through the conventional method of spam email containing lethal links.

Mohsen Akbari presenting his smart bandage — A “smart bandage” that detects and treats infection using a smartphone app has the potential for transformative advances in wound care. Bioengineer Mohsen Akbari and his UVic-based research team are collaborating to commercialize GelDerm, a patent-pending bandage that monitors pH levels at wound sites to detect the earliest signs of bacterial infection.

Margaret-Anne Storey in the ESC Building — Margaret-Anne Storey studies how technology can help people explore, understand, visualize and share big data sources and complex information. She’s currently looking at how social media can advance a more participatory culture in the software development community. Other applications areas have included biomedicine, security and education.

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Engage in research

Our faculty is committed to ensuring its research activities expand and flourish, both as the foundation for our degree programs and for the wider benefits in the discovery of new knowledge in the applied sciences and contributions to industrial innovation.

Our many research centres and groups allow collaborative and multidisciplinary activities across a breadth of areas such as:

information and communication technology
energy systems
biomedical engineering
green and smart cities

Information on 80+ active research programs can be found in the latest Faculty of Engineering research programs briefs handbook document.

Our faculty

Many of our researchers have received awards for their research. Two faculty members are Thomson-Reuters highly cited researchers, and two are fellows of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. We also have four Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada, including one junior fellow and 10 Fellows of the Canadian Academy of Engineering.

Access faculty and staff directories or check out our newsletters for more information.

How we rank

UVic is typically first or second in Canada in the Leiden Ranking for citation impact in both Mathematics and Computer Science, and Physical Science and Engineering. Read more about UVic's rankings.

Research projects

Harnessing the waves
Since its inception in 2009, the West Coast Wave Initiative (WCWI) has grown to become the centre of Canadian wave energy research and development. The WCWI—hosted by the Institute for Integrated Energy Systems (IESVic) at the University of Victoria—is a multi-disciplinary partnership of researchers, government and industry members investigating the feasibility of wave energy conversion in British Columbia. The project is funded by Natural Resources Canada, NSERC, the UVic-led Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions, and the BC Ministry of Energy and Mines. Brad Buckham is the director of WCWI. Terry Tarle is the president and CEO of AXYS Technologies of Sidney, BC, one of the project’s key partners. AXYS built all five buoys currently deployed by the WCWI off the coast of Vancouver Island, including “Beverley.” http://uvic.ca/research/projects/wcwi http://uvic.ca/research

Victoria Hand Project
The "Victoria Hand" is a project of the University of Victoria’s Biomedical Design and Systems Laboratory. Led by Dr. Nikolai Dechev, the Victoria Hand Project (VHP) is a not-for-profit that’s designing and distributing low-cost ($350), high-functioning, upper limb 3D-printed prostheses to people in need. Working with organizations which have established relationships on the ground in Guatemala (Range of Motion Project) and Nepal (Kathmandu Orthopaedic Hospital), Joshua Coutts—BEng ’14—is a research associate for ongoing field trials. The Victoria Hand Project: http://www.victoriahandproject.com/ Biomedical Design and Systems Laboratory: http://web.uvic.ca/~bdsl/ UVic's YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/uvic University of Victoria: http://uvic.ca

See more videos from the Engineering research playlist on YouTube.

Meet our researchers

Faces of UVic Research is a series of "elevator pitch" style videos showcasing the passion and commitment of UVic researchers. It's a great way to discover what our faculty are researching, which can help you choose a supervisor who fits your interests.