Nanotechnology focuses on the behaviour and control of matter at the atomic and molecular scale. Approximately 30 faculty members are actively using nanotechnology to create new and advanced materials for applications in aerospace engineering, communications, nanophotonics and nanoelectronics, clinical diagnosis and care, and energy generation. These researchers are members of the McGill Institute for Advanced Materials (MIAM), a joint research institute led by the Faculties of Engineering and Science.

Montreal is one of three major aerospace hubs in the world, with approximately 215 companies generating $11.7 billion in annual sales. More than 30 members of McGill’s Engineering Faculty are active in aerospace engineering research, many of them having strong collaborations with Montreal-based companies. Their research covers almost all aspects of aircraft design and production, including computational fluid dynamics for the design of airframes and engines, vibration analysis, lightweight composite materials, aerospace alloys, sensors, and aircraft manufacturing techniques. Many of our professors and students are members of the McGill Institute for Aerospace Engineering (MIAE).

Bioengineering concerns the interaction of living systems with technology and covers a broad range of topics. Research is currently being led by approximately 20 faculty members in the areas of design of integrated biosensors, techniques for tissue engineering and repair, vascular implants, biomimetics, biological imaging techniques, biological modeling, and biomechanics, bioremediation and microbial systems. The researchers in this field are found in almost all units of the Faculty and work with colleagues at McGill-affiliated hospitals and the Faculty of Medicine. Most of our bioengineering researchers are members of the McGill Institute for Advanced Materials (MIAM) .

McGill is Canada’s leading university for research in broadband optical and wireless networks, electrical, computer and software engineering, and intelligent systems. Researchers are developing the devices and systems that will support the networked computational fabric of the future, including the Internet of things, cyber-physical systems, optical communications, silicon photonics, advanced wireless networks, and next generation network architectures. The Faculty is proud to host two major research centres in ICT: the Centre for Systems, Technologies and Applications for Radiofrequency and Communication (STARaCom), and the Centre for Intelligent Machines (CIM).

Sustainability is one of five core commitments underlying research at McGill University. To advance the adoption of sustainable principles in our research and teaching, the Faculty of Engineering created the Trottier Institute for Sustainability in Engineering and Design (TISED), which includes approximately 45 faculty members. These researchers are investigating methods to reduce our footprint on the environment through advancements in renewable energy sources and technologies, sustainably built infrastructure, urban transportation systems, green information technology, life cycle engineering, green aviation, carbon capture and storage, and sustainable mineral extraction.