School of Engineering Science

Operating at the frontiers of innovation, an education in engineering science opens doors to a wide array of career paths in a high-tech job market that is growing exponentially. Our graduates become electronics engineers, biomedical engineers, engineering physicists, automotive engineers, computer engineers, robotics specialists or information scientists.

Hear from our Alumni

BASIL GIANNOPOULOS - Class of 2023, BASc

My co-op experience has been key in informing the trajectory of my career path and elevating my technical skills. I’m grateful for being welcomed into the multi-disciplinary microfluidics team at Precision Nanosystems, where I worked with truly talented people who modelled research and development (R&D) leadership every day. Co-op also exposed me to roles in management, health & safety, and scientific equipment sales that broadened my perspective of industry positions.

The Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) term where I worked with Dr. Bonnie Gray to incorporate novel self-sterilizing materials into textiles and 3D printed objects during COVID-19. It was humbling and incredibly exciting to work on a project directly impacting the pandemic as it unfolded in real time. There was a special moment in the Library Media Maker Commons when a touring visitor spotted me using the sewing machine and exclaimed, “Look, they’re making a face mask!” in recognition.

Get involved with activities inside and outside of the engineering department! There is nothing like the friendships built by facing uncertainty and undergoing hardship together, and engineering is full of that. But experiences with activism, humanitarian work, sustainability, fine arts, etc. enrich your perspective, inspire creativity, and prompt you to innovate by extending ideas from one area to a new context.

JOANNA GIANNOPOULOS - Class of 2023, BASc

One of my highlights from my time at SFU was being president of SFU Satellite Design Team. Being a part of this team allowed me to discover a passion for radio frequency (RF) electronics that resulted in some great co-op experiences and gave me skills that I ended up using during my capstone project. My team and I designed a ground-penetrating radar and experienced some very memorable 2 AM test sessions, another highlight of my degree.

SFU’s co-op program was a great way to get accustomed to typical engineering hiring processes and to develop my interviewing skills. I’m much more confident applying to jobs now than I would have been without the co-op experience.

My advice for students in their first year would be to find a community, whether that’s a design team, study group, or club. Having a support system is so valuable, and the more connections you have, the more opportunities you’ll find coming your way.

NAMSAKHI KUMAR - Class of 2023, BASc

One of my favorite moments was my time spent on the capstone project. I worked closely with my friends who have computer and electrical engineering backgrounds for eight months, supporting each other day and night. During that time, I not only got the opportunity to develop my skills but also learned a lot from them, as they helped me expand my skills beyond the field of biomedical engineering. I tried several features for the first time. Although we decided to drop some features after struggling with them for the first four months, we managed to effectively modify our plan and deliver a fully functional product by the deadline. It was one of the moments that I realized that ideas become successful when shared with multiple minds.

Through various projects and co-ops, I have gained experience and enjoyed exploring the relationship between integrating software, AI, and medical technology. My co-op at Microchip Technology boosted my interest and knowledge in low-power register-transfer level (RTL) design techniques. Additionally, my co-op experience as a Research Assistant for SFU’s Image Tech Lab, which is located at Surrey Memorial Hospital, and my participation in a brain-computer interface hackathon allowed me to work with advanced EEG headsets. These experiences have allowed me to explore research areas related to the brain, medical imaging, machine learning, and computational modeling. I am fortunate that these co-op positions and projects have equipped me with many technical skills and a broad perspective that extends beyond the biomedical field.

It may sound a bit philosophical but based on my personal experience, I strongly advise all first-year students not to give up just because you are finding it hard or because you received a C grade in any course. Especially don't give up because you think others around you are smarter and you’ll never be smart enough. I never imagined that someone like me, who struggled with programming and physics courses in the first year while also carrying the burden of a part-time job, would eventually succeed in passing my thesis with distinction in my final year. This unexpected accomplishment is proof that my persistent questioning and belief in myself paid off. I constantly wondered, "If others can do it, why can't I?"

BARDIA AZIZIAN - Class of 2023, MASc

My research primarily focused on visual coding for machines, addressing important challenges such as privacy concerns. Within this field, my objective was to develop efficient and privacy-preserving methods for compressing visual data for machine vision models. Tasks such as image classification, object detection, etc., require specialized codecs designed specifically for these tasks, as relying solely on human-targeted codecs may not yield optimal outcomes.

Before SFU, I hadn’t delved deep into machine learning and its real-world applications. However, working alongside an incredible research team at the Multimedia Lab and taking relevant courses allowed me to explore practical technologies within my research. This hands-on experience complemented my theoretical knowledge and equipped me with skills that will undoubtedly contribute to my future career success.

One of the highlights of my time at SFU was the exhilarating experience of finally meeting my supervisor and research group in person. Due to the COVID situation, our initial meetings were held online, and I never had the opportunity to connect with my collaborators face-to-face until the last semesters of my program. This experience was my favorite because it brought a sense of belonging for the first time since I moved to Vancouver.

I would like to encourage new students to actively engage in social activities and networking. Building connections and forming friendships can greatly shape your personality and open doors to opportunities and fresh ideas for your future career. Remember, it's not just about your studies; make sure to have fun and enjoy every aspect of your life as well.

MOHAMMADHADI MOHANDES - Class of 2023, MASc

I have had many good memories from the day I started at SFU. I am a musician, and I would say the highlight was getting to know three other musicians, Babak, Sina, and Soroush and playing in front of 120 people one week after my master’s defence; that was the best feeling. I also liked the moment when my brother and his wife, my family over Zoom, and my friends attended my defence session. It’s said that this was the most crowded defence in SFU history.

While working on my thesis and the courses that I took for my master’s requirements, I learned valuable technical skills in robotics programming and machine learning. Moreover, being a teaching assistant for a number of courses provided me with experience in teaching and interacting with undergraduate students.

Learn to enjoy your life while you are a student. Plan for your fun and also your studies. Try to learn some new skills and build strong networks among your friends for your future.

Alumni Achievements

One Iota Performance

Ryan Stolys graduated from his BASc in 2023. After graduation, he works full time at a small start-up he founded called One Iota Performance. His team has developed a software platform that tracks all four components of performance (physical, technical, tactical and especially mental) with the goal of helping athletes get one iota better each day.

"My SFU experience has provided me with countless opportunities to explore career options and extra-curricular experiences that have shaped my future. The most impactful were my co-op experiences working for startup companies and participating in the e-coop program where I was able to dedicate my time towards growing my own start-up, One Iota Performance."

Dr. Hyomin Choi receives Governor General’s Gold Medal

Dr. Hyomin Choi's pioneering work includes three-dimensional feature tensor compression for efficient machine-to-machine communication and AI-based scalable video compression to assist humans and machines’ visual consumption of video data in a scalable manner. Choi now works for Silicon Valley’s InterDigital as a research scientist, continuing his research on AI-based video compression to include international standardization activities for video compression technology.

"I am deeply honoured to have received the most prestigious award granted by Canadian universities. I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to my senior supervisor, Prof. Ivan V. Bajić, for his unwavering support and invaluable advice throughout my entire PhD journey. The fruitful outcomes of my research undoubtedly stem from our strong collaboration and mutual trust."

Learn more about our alumni achievements

Faculty of Applied Sciences