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Centres, Institutes & Facilities

The Faculty of Engineering is home to 20 major research centres and institutes that house world-class equipment, which are operated by leading experts in their fields. Our students are trained in these facilities, which enables them to enter the workforce with expertise in the latest technologies. In keeping with our collaborative approach, our facilities are also used by faculty members across the University, by government, and the private sector.  Our researchers and students also have access to other research centres and institutes across the University, such as the Nuclear Reactor, Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research, and the Brain-Body Institute.

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McMaster Centre for Software Certification - LogoThe McMaster Centre for Software Certification’s objective is to improve the practice of software engineering applied to critical systems involving software. Its research is into what kinds of evidence, based on scientific notions of measurement, can be obtained from software, and how different kinds of evidence may be combined.

 

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The ArcelorMittal Dofasco Centre for Engineering and Public Policy (AMD CEPP) is Canada’s first centre to offer a Master’s degree in EPP. We train students at the interface between engineering, science, technology and public policy, and teach how public policy affects technological, social, economic and ecological systems leading to sustainability.

""The Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research is an interdisciplinary research organization with the mandate to develop, support and co-ordinate all materials research-related activities at McMaster. The facilities of the Institute and its pool of expertise are also available to industry and organizations that require assistance with materials research and development or material analysis.

 

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The Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy (CCEM) provides world-class electron microscopy capabilities and expertise to Canadian researchers and industry working in a broad range of fields. Our vision is to be one of the leading electron microscopy facilities in the world for the quality of the scientific research, to be the go-to provider of electron microscopy services to Canadian industry and to play a leading role in promoting interactions amongst researchers in various fields nationally and internationally.

Director(s)

Dr. Nabil Bassim

Professor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Dr. Gianluigi Botton

Professor

Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Dr. Marek Niewczas

Professor

Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Dr. Kathryn Grandfield (Bernar)

Associate Professor, Associate Chair – Graduate

Department of Materials Science and Engineering

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""The Centre for Automotive Materials and Corrosion at MARC works alongside leading scientists and industry partners on cutting-edge science to test the mechanical and environmental degredation limits of materials. Faculty, researchers, graduate, and undergraduate students form the basis of CAMC resulting in high level graduates with fundamental and applied knowledge of materials, testing, and design.

 

Director(s)

Dr. Joseph McDermid

Professor, Associate Chair – Undergraduate
Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Admin Contact

Beth McNally

Principal Research Engineer and Operations
Manager, Centre for Automotive Materials and Corrosion

mcnally@mcmaster.ca

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""The Centre for the Effective Design of Structures is focused on the following four research areas: Masonry materials, Design and Construction; Earthquake Engineering; Investigation and Remediation of Structures; and Enhanced Use of New and Under-utilized Materials. The Centre partners with private and public sectors in the research and development of cost-effective construction products and techniques through sponsored and collaborative research.

 

Director(s)

Dr. Wael El-Dakhakhni

Professor
Department of Civil Engineering

Dr. Michael Tait

Professor
Department of Civil Engineering

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""The Centre for Emerging Device Technologies (CEDT) is dedicated to research in optoelectronic and electronic devices. With 14 internationally recognized full time faculty members, the Centre participates in three Ontario Centres of Excellence and two Canada Centres of Excellence. Research projects include molecular beam epitaxial deposition of semiconductor materials and structures for optoelectronic applications, and various processing technologies necessary for optoelectronic devices.

Director(s)

Dr. Ayse Turak

Associate Professor
Department of Engineering Physics

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A world class research and development Centre that promotes hybrid technology and its transfer to Canada while working with industrial partners to enhance their global competitiveness and augment their capabilities in training and recruitment.

Phone 1-289-674-0250
Email: cmht@mcmaster.ca

Director(s)

Dr. Saeid Habibi

Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering

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""The Micro- and Nano-System Laboratory (MNSL) at McMaster University. MNSL is a unique facility in North America offering fabrication, characterization and integration of different materials, components and devices at multiple length scales. For example, Nano-Bonding and –Interconnect System (NBIS) and Nanoimprinting Lithography System (NIL) provide fabrication and integration of nanometer scale structures and devices. Research using MNSL infrastructure spans from fundamental areas such as molecular interactions during bonding to applied relating to miniaturization of emerging systems for health and environmental applications.

Director(s)

Dr. Jamal Deen

Distinguished University Professor
Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

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The Centre of Excellence in Protective Equipment and Materials (CEPEM) will assist research and development needs for Canadian companies, both existing and new, so that they can meet today’s needs for Canada but also develop the next generation of personnel protective equipment to become global leaders in the future.

 

Director(s)

Dr. P. Ravi Selvaganapathy

Distinguished Engineering Professor, Canada
Research Chair in Biomicrofluidics (laureate)
Department of Mechanical Engineering

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""McMaster’s Computing Infrastructure Research Centre (CIRC), is Canada’s first facility that focuses on developing novel technology paradigms for the $100B+ data centre industry. CIRC is mandated to promote and advocate for innovations and support a wide range of industry partners and its activities. CIRC boasts of a pioneering operations model, wherein R&D projects are armed with tools to continuously evaluate commercial and societal impact. This has yielded many early successes within the first year of operations, such as the development of novel products that have been adopted by customers in Canada and overseas. CIRC has already attracted nearly $4M in Federal government grants, and has been featured in top trade journals across the globe.

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""The McMaster Automotive Resource Centre is one of Canada’s leading research facilities in electric and hybrid vehicles where researchers, students and industry professionals are working to resolve the issues facing the automotive industry. Together, these teams of engineers, scientists, social scientists and their students are developing sustainable solutions for the industry including the development of hybrid and electric powertrains, building highly efficient and cost-effective powertrain components and identifying light materials to make cars more fuel efficient.

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""MacAUTO is the newly established coordinating body for automotive research and education at McMaster University. MacAUTO is also educating a new generation of professionals ideally suited to understanding real-world issues and implementing innovative solutions.

""Internally, McMaster institute for Energy Studies (MIES) provides a forum for cooperation and interdisciplinary interactions between McMaster faculty members in the energy area and acts as a point of contact at McMaster for energy-related opportunities and to communicate them to the McMaster community. It encourages and fosters an interdisciplinary systems approach to the solution of energy problems in order to establish a credible capability for the assessment and evaluation of energy systems, thus providing authoritative advice to governments and industry.

Director(s)

Dr. Dave Novog

Professor and NSERC Industrial Research Chair
Department of Engineering Physics

Dr. James S. Cotton

Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering

The interface institute is focused on integrating research on multi-hazard, interdependence and system-level risk to address societal grand challenges with respect to different natural, built and cyber infrastructure systems. The institute is a multi-disciplinary platform for knowledge mobilization across the tri-council agencies and has members from across the university who specialize in studying different forms of hazards, component and system vulnerabilities, as well as system interdependencies and risk evaluation.

Director(s)

Dr. Wael El-Dakhakhni

Professor
Department of Civil Engineering

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McMaster University’s cross-Faculty research institute for advancing the science of aging. Aging is a social force worldwide, and the rising age of our population profoundly impacts individuals, families, communities, and health and social care systems.

MIRA’s approach is to conduct research in cross-Faculty teams and engage the older adult community, their families, healthcare providers and other key stakeholders through every stage of our activities, from research to evaluation and implementation of interventions and technologies. The input of multiple perspectives and complementary areas of expertise will ensure that our research is, from the outset, optimized to create useable, practical, older adult-centred solutions that promote aging in place.

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""The McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute (MMRI) facility is designed to meet the sophisticated research and development needs of leading manufacturers in the automotive, aerospace, biomedical and consumer goods industries, along with the manufacturing tooling, coatings-surface engineering, dye and mould support industries. Special focus is placed on tool selection and development as well as process optimization for light weight material casting, machining, metal forming, polymer processing, heat treatment processes, robotics, automation and metrology/inspection.

Director(s)

Dr. Stephen C. Veldhuis

Professor, Director (MMRI) and Braley-Orlick Chair in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering
Department of Mechanical Engineering

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""The McMaster Nuclear Reactor (MNR) first became operational in 1959 and was the first university-based research reactor in the British Commonwealth. Originally designed to operate at a maximum power of 1 MW, MNR was upgraded during the 1970s to its current rating of 5 MW with a maximum thermal neutron flux of 1 x 1014 neutrons/cm2s. MNR is classified as a medium flux reactor and it is by far the most powerful research reactor at a Canadian university – the handful of so-called “Slowpoke” reactors at other institutions typically operate at a power of 0.02 MW.

 

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The Steel Research Centre develops research leading to commercially relevant new approaches to ironmaking, steelmaking process control, waste processing, steel product design and metal forming technologies. It also trains highly qualified personnel to provide the means of transferring new technology to the steel industry and develops continuing education for steel industry engineers to enhance the receptor capacity for innovation.

 

Director(s)

Dr. Joseph McDermid

Professor, Associate Chair – Undergraduate
Department of Materials Science and Engineering

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Biointerfaces Institute - LogoThe Biointerfaces Institute at McMaster University is a state-of-the-art facility implementing high-throughput research pipelines to investigate the nature of the biological/material interface, or biointerface.

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""The Centre for Automotive Materials and Corrosion’s original mandate focused on weight reduction of automotive structures, with a particular emphasis on Mg-alloys. Currently, while the Mg-alloy research does continue, the Centre’s current focus is on the deployment and development of Al-based alloys and advanced high-strength steels for automotive weight reduction and safety applications, with an emphasis on corrosion prevention, microstructure-property relationships, metal forming and joining.

 

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The Walter W.Smeltzer Corrosion laboratory function as a vehicle for the promotion of corrosion knowledge among university, industry and government, and provides a service to industry in corrosion assessment and the examination and testing of corrosion-related problems.