I spent a full day at Ontario Tech University in Oshawa a few weeks ago. It was my first time on campus, despite it being just over a 40-minute drive from Toronto, where I live. I arrived curious and left with a clearer picture of what they’re building.

Ontario Tech is still a relatively young university, just over two decades old. What’s less well known—and something I didn’t fully appreciate before the visit—is how quickly it has grown in that time, now serving around 14,000 students, and how deliberately it has established itself as a research university rather than simply a teaching-focused institution.

That research orientation shows up not just in output, but in where the university has chosen to build depth—areas that sit close to real systems and real constraints.

This came through clearly in conversations with Prof. Peter Lewis, Canada Research Chair in Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence, whose work focuses on trustworthy and ethical AI. The university has launched Canada’s first School of Ethical AI, alongside the Mindful AI Research Institute, and the work here is grounded in how AI systems behave once deployed—how humans interact with them, and how unintended consequences are identified and managed.

Energy is another area where Ontario Tech has built serious capability. The university is home to Canada’s only accredited undergraduate Nuclear Engineering program, which is ranked third in North America and designated as an IAEA Collaborating Centre. In discussions with Prof. Hossam Gaber, the emphasis was on smart energy systems, where software, sensing, and control systems are developed alongside the physical energy infrastructure they operate within.

I also spent time with Prof. Haoxiang Lang, whose work in robotics, automotive systems, and advanced mobility sits at the intersection of computation and the physical world.

That work is closely tied to the Automotive Centre of Excellence, which includes a climatic wind tunnel described as one of the largest and most sophisticated of its kind in the world. The facility enables full-scale testing under extreme environmental conditions—from arctic cold to desert heat—and supports research that needs to be validated under real operating constraints.

I can’t possibly mention all the conversations I had over the course of the day—it was a full schedule—but I also spent time with Dean Hossam Kishawy and Dr. Osman Hamid, discussing how research, entrepreneurship, and industry engagement fit together at Ontario Tech.

The day also included time at Brilliant Catalyst, the university’s innovation hub, speaking with students and founders about entrepreneurship. I had the opportunity to give a keynote on entrepreneurship, and the visit ended with the pitch competition, where I handed the cheque to the winning team—a small moment that underscored how early many technical journeys begin.

Ontario Tech may be young, but it is already operating with the structure and discipline of a mature research institution, while retaining the adaptability of a newer one.

Thank you to Sunny Chen and the Ontario Tech team for the time, access, and thoughtful conversations throughout the day.

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