About the School of Engineering

Welcome to the School of Engineering

Kia Ora Tatou,

Engineering at Waikato is one of New Zealand’s best kept secrets. It feels like a family who are starting to make an impact and a name for themselves, whether in New Zealand or overseas. Some of our closest collaborators and friends are from leading universities from around the globe.

One of the reasons people want to work with us is that we see professional engineering as being more than just solving complicated mathematical calculations. Instead, it is about having the skills and mindset to know how to apply good science and mathematics to solve complex problems that meet clients’ needs and that are financially viable and sustainable for society and the environment. At Waikato, we do this by teaching the “science and art of engineering” to solve complex problems through using Project Based Learning that culminates in our annual Engineering Design Show (EDS). Our students also benefit from having the best resourced STEM work placement unit in New Zealand to obtain 800 hours of paid industry placements, typically in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty.

All these achievements and high standards in teaching are possible because we have highly dedicated staff that have been recruited from the world’s top engineering schools. This has enabled us to establish 4 leading research groups in Robotics, Automation and Sensors, Advanced Materials and Manufacturing, Energy and Water Systems, and Resilient and Sustainable Infrastructures. These research groups receive over $30 million in external research grants and contracts that range from giving advice to government on a strategy to reduce green house gas emissions for New Zealand’s major industries through to building robots to harvest kiwi fruit. As a result, my colleagues have been awarded numerous prizes and awards from the Royal Society, Kudos and Rutherford Fellow.

Above all, we feel passionate about helping people from all walks of life to start a professional career in Engineering and to make a difference by not just standing on the sidelines, but wanting to make a difference. If that is your outlook on life, then come and join us.

Kia Ora.

Professor Mike Duke
Dean, School of Engineering