Research
Our research transforms industries, strengthens communities and drives sustainable innovation.
Research in the Faculty of Engineering is powered by a network of centres, institutes, research chairs and specialized facilities that drive work across every discipline. Faculty, students and research staff collaborate in labs, makerspaces, cleanrooms and pilot-scale environments built for advanced testing and rapid iteration. Close partnerships with industry, government and community groups keep our research aligned with real technical demands. This ecosystem brings people, expertise and infrastructure together to move ideas quickly from concept to proven solutions.
Research Chairs
Research Chairs anchor the Faculty of Engineering’s research strength. Through the University of Alberta Engineering Research Chair, Canada Research Chair, and industry-funded programs, our top scholars lead major research initiatives, build high-performing teams and attract significant partnerships. Their work advances priority areas across engineering and connects the faculty with industry and government on projects with real impact.
Learn more about our Research Chairs66
Total number of Research Chairs
Centres + Institutes
The Faculty of Engineering is home to a dynamic network of research centres and institutes that connect expertise across disciplines and industries. From advanced manufacturing and underground construction to energy systems, smart infrastructure, materials science, and environmental engineering, these centres accelerate innovation and translate discovery into real-world impact.
Explore our Centres and InstitutesAreas of Research (Grand Challenges)
Engineering research at the University of Alberta meets society’s most urgent challenges with clarity, collaboration, and a spirit of discovery. Our researchers strengthen sustainable and resilient infrastructure, design cleaner and more efficient energy systems and advance environmental stewardship through air and water treatment, carbon capture and methane mitigation. They push emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, biomedical engineering, robotics, automation and quantum systems, while driving progress in advanced materials and manufacturing. From the smallest structures to the broadest systems, their work links foundational insight with practical solutions to build a more secure, sustainable, and equitable future.
Explore Areas of Research
Energy
Drives progress in traditional energy systems and expands renewables, hydrogen, nuclear power and smart grid innovation.
Environment
Creates cleaner air, water and land solutions through carbon capture, waste treatment and sustainable resource stewardship.
Infrastructure
Designs resilient, sustainable and affordable infrastructure for climate adaptation, energy transition and northern and remote communities.
Advanced Technologies
Pushes mechatronics, biomedical systems, artificial intelligence and nanoscale technologies to transform health, manufacturing and intelligent design.
Student Research
From first-year exploration to advanced doctoral work, students in the Faculty of Engineering engage directly in research that moves ideas forward. Undergraduate students join faculty mentors through programs such as the Dean’s Research Awards, NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA), and the Engineering Undergraduate Research Initiative (EURI), gaining early experience in designing experiments, analyzing data and contributing to active projects.
Graduate students build on that foundation by leading work in labs, interdisciplinary teams, and industry collaborations across energy, health, infrastructure and emerging technologies. Supported by scholarships, fellowships, the Faculty of Engineering Graduate Research Symposium (FEGRS) and access to specialized facilities, students at every level play a meaningful role in the research that defines engineering at the University of Alberta.
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Facilities
The Faculty of Engineering offers students and researchers access to a wide range of specialized spaces that support hands-on discovery and technical exploration. From collaborative makerspaces to advanced laboratories for materials, energy, water, and infrastructure research, these facilities help turn ideas into working prototypes, models and experiments. Students at every level learn in environments built for creativity and problem-solving, gaining practical experience with tools and technologies used across today’s engineering fields.
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