News

In Memoriam – Professor Peter Stangeby (1943 – 2025)

November 20, 2025

The University of Toronto Institute of Aerospace Studies and the Division of Engineering Science are saddened to announce the passing of Professor Emeritus Peter Stangeby. Born in Arvida, Quebec, Peter grew up in Brockville, Ontario. He first came to U of T as an undergraduate in the 1960s, completing his […]

Student being interviewed by acting professional across the table. Both are seated below a projector.

New MEng Co-op program expands opportunities for graduate students to gain on-the-job experience

October 23, 2025

This fall, 40 newly enrolled Master of Engineering (MEng) students began their coursework at U of T Engineering — and started preparing for job interviews.  Starting next May, they will spend eight months working with leading companies from Toronto and around the world through U of T Engineering’s brand-new MEng Extended […]

Two women wearing hard hats reviewing instructions

Canada Must Heed the Message of Brain Drain in Engineering

October 14, 2025

There is plenty of evidence that economies of the future will be increasingly reliant on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) talent. In Canada, we are doing a reasonable job of producing STEM talent, although this is in jeopardy due to chronic underfunding of universities; however, retention is a major […]

Nick rhinehart

‘Read widely, build things, break them and figure out why they broke’: Meet Professor Nick Rhinehart

September 25, 2025

As the newest robotics researcher at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS), Professor Nick Rhinehart and his team are developing autonomous systems that can operate safely and effectively in complex, unpredictable environments, such as roads and public spaces.   Rhinehart joined the university in 2024 from Waymo, one of the […]

Students and professor Waslander gather in front of the autonomous vehicle

aUToronto has placed first overall at the 2025 SAE AutoDrive Challenge™ II

September 3, 2025

U of T Engineering’s self-driving car team aUToronto has once again taken the top spot at a prestigious international challenge — and notched a few personal bests as well.  The AutoDrive Challenge II invites ten teams from universities across North America to compete at the Mcity Test Facility in Ann Arbor, Mich. […]

Alex Krawciw and Tim Barfoot standing in front of a rover

Researchers developing advanced autonomy algorithms for cargo transportation on the moon

September 3, 2025

Autonomy algorithms developed by the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) researchers could one day make cargo transport on the moon safer and more efficient for astronauts. As part of a team led by MDA Space, Professor Tim Barfoot (UTIAS) and Alec Krawciw (UTIAS PhD student) are developing technology that will help […]

Mia Thomas and Katie Allison stand in front of the Osgoode Hall

How two UTIAS grads are building community for women in robotics

August 13, 2025

Katie Allison (EngSci 2T0+PEY, MIE MASc 2T5) and Mia Thomas (UTIAS MASc 2T5) know that building robots is only part of the equation – building community is just as important.As graduate students in Professor Jonathan Kelly’s (UTIAS) lab, Allison and Thomas spent hours testing robot grippers and running code. And outside the lab, they […]

Aoran Jiao standing next to a rover

Toronto Robotics Conference at UTM

August 6, 2025

A voice-controlled vehicle. A shape-shifting probe designed to squeeze inside aircraft. A blood-suctioning surgical assistant. These were just some of the innovations on display at this month’s Toronto Robotics Conference, where more than 300 researchers, students and industry partners gathered at the University of Toronto Mississauga to explore the future […]

andrew ilersich

Aerospace PhD Student Tackles Transit Delays with Real-Time Subway Map

July 28, 2025

To Andrew Ilersich (EngSci 1T8, UTIAS PhD candidate), delays and slowdowns on the TTC subway have now become the expectation, not the exception. After mapping out a route and arriving on time to a station, he said he’d often be met with a delay that would eat into his estimated […]

Zayne standing in front of the UTIAS mural in the cafeteria

How a PEY Co-op experience launched a U of T Engineering alumnus into space sustainability

March 26, 2025

Zayne Thawer (EngSci 2T0+ PEY) never imagined the career path his Professional Experience Year Co-op Program (PEY Co-op) at Safran Landing Systems would open up.   “My internship was incredibly enlightening. It introduced me to the world of industry beyond academia,” he says.    “As a systems engineering and architecture intern, I worked with a team of engineers […]