Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Faculty of Applied Sciences

IMAGINE, INVENT, INSPIRE

Leading research in applied sciences

Innovation through the use of technology. That lies at the centre of our research.

Many of our undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and alumni have created software applications and products that later filled a unique niche in commercial enterprises, in health care, in government and in the marketplace.

The Faculty of Applied Sciences is home to Canada Research Chairs and award-winning faculty in computing and engineering science. In addition, the Faculty of Applied Sciences partners with other departments at SFU and educational institutions to conduct internationally recognized research.

SFU Change Makers: Woo Soo Kim on Using 3D Printers to Help Meet the High Demand for Medical Equipment

SFU Faculty of Applied Sciences Professor Woo Soo Kim joins Joy Johnson, SFU VP Research and International, in a discussion about how his research lab is helping to meet the high demand for healthcare supplies and equipment during COVID-19 using 3D printing technologies.

Research links

Meet Some of Our Researchers

Dr. Mohamed Hefeeda

Computing Science, Multimedia on the go

Mohamed Hefeeda is developing high-quality mobile multimedia services through the creation of novel algorithms and systems that minimize the energy consumption of mobile devices, improve user quality and maximize the use of the wireless spectrum. Dr. Hefeeda’s research has been used by national public broadcaster, Canadian Broadcasting Corp., and has direct application for mobile phone manufacturers.

View faculty member profiles in Computing Science.

Dr. Carolyn Sparrey

Mechatronic Systems Engineering, Launches brain and spinal cord research lab

Carolyn Sparrey’s Neurospine Biomechanics Lab at the SFU Surrey campus will research the biomechanics of tissue degeneration and the effects of aging on brain and spinal cord injuries. She investigates prevention of brain and spinal cord injuries and develops treatment technologies that are tailored to an individual patient by accounting for factors such as age and pre-existing medical conditions like osteoporosis.

View faculty member profiles in Mechatronic Systems Engineering.

Dr. Ash Parameswaran

Engineering Science, Low-cost tools to combat rural disease

Thanks to federal funding from Grand Challenges Canada (GCC), low-cost, easily accessible technology invented by Ash Parameswaran is closer to helping save millions of infant lives. The lab-on-a-chip (LOC), designed by Dr. Parameswaran and his research team, is among 102 global research projects that received $100,000 each through GCC’s Stars in Global Health program in 2013. The LOC is a low-cost plastic microfluidic device that can quickly do bacterial tests for infantile diarrhea and determine which antibiotic would cure it. Given that infantile diarrhea claims the lives of millions of children under the age of five, health providers globally, especially in the developing world, are clamoring for access to new diagnostic and treatment tools.

View faculty member profiles in Engineering Science.

Dr. Arrvindh Shriraman

Computing Science, Green Computing

Computing Science researchers, such as Arrvindh Shriraman, are tackling the issue of rising energy demands related to the growing use of computers and the internet. Today, one in six people are engaged in social media, and more people are connected online and downloading digital content. A major challenge confronting computers today is improving power efficiency. Dr. Shriraman is developing innovations in systems architecture, with emphasis on hardware and interaction of hardware with software to improve energy efficiency of applications and enable sustainable computer performance.

View faculty member profiles in Computing Science.