Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at University of Waterloo

Conduct research to generate new knowledge and advance your career with the PhD in Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering program. Working with expert faculty members, you’ll become a skilled problem solver, leader and innovator able to create mechanical systems and electro-mechanical designs that impact industries and improve the world. You’ll be ready for a rewarding career in academia or private industry.

Faculty: Faculty of Engineering  |  Department: Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering  |  Duration: 48 months (full-time)  |  Study mode: full-time  |  Intake: Fall (September - December), Winter (January - April), Spring (May - August); application deadlines: February(for admission in September)*; June 1(for admission in January of the following year)*; October 1(for admission in May of the following year)*; *Note: Completed applications, including all supporting documentation must be submitted on or before the posted application deadline. If you will not be able to meet the posted deadline, please consider applying to a later term.  |  Location: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

What you will study

Research fields: Automation and Controls, Fluid Mechanics, Materials Engineering and Processing, Solid-Body Mechanics and Mechanical Design, Thermal Engineering, Research project opportunities for this program, External Flaming From Mass Timber Compartments, This research project will utilize an existing experimental set-up at the University of Waterloo's Fire Research Facility to develop medium-scale compartment fire experiments. The candidate will form a critical part of the UW Fire Research Facility team and will benefit from collaborations and discussions with partner institutions and industry within the mass timber construction and fire safety engineering sector in Canada., In-situ Quantification of Emissions During Safety Venting, This project will develop highly sensitive optical techniques to probe and quantify in-situ particle and gas emissions of Li-ion battery cells as they approach thermal runaway during their safety venting phase. Lasers and optical equipment available at the UW Fire Research Facility will be used to target the time evolution of select gas and solid species and concentrations along with particle size distributions. Resulting data from this work will be used to tailor highly sensitive low-cost sensors to enable early detection of thermal runaway., Deflagration Risk in BESS Enclosures, This project will utilize high-speed imaging, lasers and instruments to evaluate explosion risk in BESS facilities. A reduced-scale enclosure with optical accessibility will be developed, with explosions simulated by recreating the gas mixtures found from thermal runaway vent gas measurements. Flame acceleration will be induced to generate turbulence by incorporating obstacles into the enclosure that are representative of battery racks in BESS enclosures. The results of this work will help inform future BESS enclosure design and gas venting strategies., AI-Powered Magnetically Levitated Microrobots for Precision Force-Controlled Cell Injections, Cell injection is a key technique in biomedical research and therapy, enabling the delivery of biomolecules into cells for gene modification and treatment development. It is widely used in gene therapy, drug discovery, cancer research, and stem cell research, where precise force control is critical to preserve cell viability. AI and microrobotics enhance injection accuracy and consistency by reducing human variability.. Study option(s): Thesis.

Career pathways

Conduct research to generate new knowledge and advance your career with the PhD in Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering program.

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