For Students

The Waterloo Data and Artificial Intelligence Institute launched in April 2018. The institute comprises multidisciplinary research teams with expertise in mathematics, computer science, engineering, and social sciences. Waterloo.AI was launched officially in early 2018 with generous support from the Faculty of Engineering (the largest faculty of engineering in the country), the Faculty of Mathematics (which houses the largest Computer Science department in the country), the Office of the Vice-President Academic & Provost, and the private industry. The founding co-directors of the Institute are Professor Fakhri Karray (Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering) and Professor Peter van Beek (Computer Science, Faculty of Mathematics). After the departure of Professors Fakhri Karray and Peter Van Beek in the spring of 2021, Professors Jimmy Lin and Vijay Ganesh were appointed as the Co-Directors of the Institute. Following Professor Vijay Ganesh’s departure to Georgia Tech in Summer 2023, Professor Stephen Smith joined as a co-Director. 

Our researchers are world-leading in foundational AI research and have also demonstrated expertise in collaborating with Industry-leading corporations. In terms of the institute’s operational AI research, we take a complementary, problem-driven approach which, when combined with our integrated teaching approach and access to highly qualified talent, allows us to help our partner companies drive a continuous cycle of innovation to develop real-world solutions that address operational problems and enable new products and services.  

The institute collaborates with stakeholders to address real-world challenges through responsible AI and data science, while leading globally in both applied and foundational research. In addition, there is expanded participation and strengthened workforce talent through education and outreach, driving the adoption and commercialization of AI-driven innovations. 

Waterloo AI has two core research streams: AI for Industry and AI for Social Good. The Institute has a unique approach to pursuing AI research, as it focuses on driving innovation through collaborative, problem-driven AI research and building organizational AI capacity through short courses taught by leading experts. 

Partnering with Waterloo.AI provides access to sponsored operational research tailored to real-world challenges, alongside AI training and continued education through collaboration with WatSpeed. Gain exclusive networking opportunities with industry peers, leading AI researchers, and a wealth of corporate partners, all while tapping into top-tier talent to drive your organization’s innovation forward. 

Waterloo AI’s two main research streams: 

AI for Industry:  

Collaborating with small and medium-sized enterprises as well as large corporations to address targeted business challenges through applied AI research. Our team is advancing innovative AI technologies in diverse fields including medical diagnostics, autonomous vehicles, manufacturing, consumer finance, agriculture, speech recognition, and adaptive architecture. As our core strength at Waterloo.AI is operational or applied research, we start by focusing on your business problems that have the potential to be solved by AI. We work closely with you to turn these high-level problems into specific research problem statements that are then circulated, along with your committed research budget, to our >200 researchers as a competitive call for proposals. Over 2-3 weeks, we will collect the proposals from each principal investigator (professor), each detailing the proposed research methodology, number of graduate students, timelines, budget, and other ancillary items. We then work with key people in your company to review the proposals and select those projects that best suit your business objectives. 

AI for Social Good:  

Partnering with for-profit, non-profit, and public sector companies to tackle complex issues with broad ranging societal implications. Our researchers have experience in working on problems of social benefit, including specific problems relating to environment and sustainability, aging and health, support of citizen science, fairness and bias in machine learning, trust in AI systems, and human-AI collaboration, to name a few.  

The Waterloo AI Institute’s aim is to develop “disruptive technology based on foundational AI that addresses operational problems and enables new products and services.” 

The University of Waterloo provides Waterloo AI with a roster of top tier researchers and students. The University has become recognized worldwide for its many academic achievements. Partnering companies can have full confidence in Waterloo AI’s talent when pursuing a sponsored project through Waterloo AI.  

Waterloo AI and the University stand out with remarkable achievements. It is ranked the #1 Engineering school in Canada and within the top 50 globally according to US News & World Report. The university also holds the #1 spot for Computer Science in Canada, ranking #10 in North America and #18 globally. In the Americas, it is ranked #4 for AI and Robotics. The institution is supported by a strong network of over 300 researchers, 550+ master’s and PhD students, 3,000+ undergraduate students, six faculties, 18 research centres and 24 labs. It is also linked to more than 700 companies founded by Waterloo alumni.  

Students benefit from world-class experiential education through Co-op programs. As the Wall Street Journal noted, "To find Silicon Valley’s latest hunting ground for engineering talent, start at Stanford University – then drive northeast for about 40 hours," emphasizing Waterloo's global impact on tech recruitment. Bloomberg also highlighted Waterloo as one of the top three talent sources for tech companies in the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition, Geoffrey Hinton, a leader in AI and deep learning, recognized the university's contribution, stating, "Waterloo is a unique place where cutting-edge research meets real-world application, especially in areas like AI, machine learning, and quantum computing." Renowned computer scientist Brian Kernighan echoed this sentiment, praising Waterloo for producing some of the most talented engineers and developers with a strong balance between theoretical foundations and practical applications. 

If your organization is interested in becoming a partner with the Waterloo AI Institute, please inquire with: 

Managing Director (Industry Inquiries): 

The Waterloo AI Institute is a leading AI research institute and the central hub for Waterloo Region’s AI ecosystem, advancing foundational research, attracting, and nurturing world-class talent, and developing and deploying AI technologies designed to solve meaningful problems to benefit everyone, everywhere. The Waterloo Data and AI Institutes' mission is to advance innovative research and innovation in data science and artificial intelligence. By encouraging collaboration between academia, industry, and government, the institutes aim to drive impactful solutions to real-world challenges. They focus on developing AI technologies that enhance societal well-being, empower businesses, and contribute to scientific discovery, while also providing education and training to cultivate the next generation of AI and data science leaders. Through these efforts, the institutes strives to position Waterloo as a global leader in AI research and applications. 

Moreover, advance the responsible use of data science and artificial intelligence to enhance the prosperity and well-being of humankind. The institute also collaborates with stakeholders to address real-world challenges through responsible AI and data science, while leading globally in applied and foundational research. In addition, there is expanded participation and strengthen workforce talent through education and outreach, driving the adoption and commercialization of AI-driven innovations. 

The Waterloo AI Institute is comprised of staff members, faculty members, and graduate researchers from various fields of expertise in AI.  

Administrative Assistant/ Operations Manager 

Jacob Witmer (General Inquiries): 

Email: jacob.witmer@uwaterloo.ca 
Office: DC 2597A 

Managing Director 
N/A 
 

Co-Director, Faculty of Mathematics 

Prof. Jimmy Lin (Research and Academic Inquires): 
Email: jimmylin@uwaterloo.ca 

  Phone: 519-888-4567 x31104 

  Office: DC 3601 

Co-Director, Faculty of Engineering 
Prof. Stephen L. Smith (Research and Academic Inquires): 

Email: stephen.smith@uwaterloo.ca 

Phone: 519-888-4567 x31215 

Office: E5 5112 

Partnering with the Waterloo AI Institute offers many benefits for corporations interested in advancing their innovation pipeline and preparing for an AI-enabled future.  

Partnership benefits include: 

• Sponsored ‘Operational’ Applied Research 

• AI training and education 

• Networking with peers and Waterloo AI researchers 

• Access to talent 

• Corporate Branding 

Partnering with the Waterloo AI Institute offers exceptional benefits, including access to cutting-edge applied research tailored to operational needs, comprehensive AI training and education, and invaluable networking opportunities with industry peers and leading AI researchers. Additionally, partners can tap into a rich talent pool and enhance their corporate branding by aligning with one of the world’s top AI innovation hubs. 

Our partners:  

• BMO  

• GM 

• Microsoft 

• Manulife 

• Rogers  

• Scotiabank  

• Pinterest  

• Loblaws 

• And a variety more, across diverse industries 

Learn more: https://uwaterloo.ca/artificial-intelligence-institute/industry-partnership 

Waterloo AI Institute hosts monthly seminar series to generate discussion and collaboration around active topics of AI research at University of Waterloo. Each seminar includes a talk by a guest speaker, audience discussion, and a following reception with light refreshments for further discussion and networking. Please click the topic links for details. Past seminar recordings are available on YouTube. Moreover, there are events hosted monthly by the Institute, that bring many people from different academic backgrounds together. This includes symposiums, in-person seminars, competitions/hackathons, and more. The institute always encourages faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, and everyone interested in AI to attend. 
 

For information on past and upcoming events: https://uwaterloo.ca/artificial-intelligence-  institute/seminar-series 

The Waterloo AI Graduate Student Association (GSA) 

•  It is a non-profit student-run organization that operates under the Waterloo AI Institute. Through GSA, Waterloo AI’s goal is to bring together all UW graduate students in Artificial Intelligent (AI), encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration, and promote academic and professional development. Yearly, Waterloo AI hosts various AI-related events like social events, workshops, seminars, coding cafe, and more. 

What is WAT.AI 

• WAT.ai is a student-run Artificial Intelligence (AI) Organization at the University of Waterloo and the undergraduate student body of the Waterloo AI Institute and member of the Sedra Student Design Centre (SSDC). Our goal is to establish an environment to enable the continued growth of AI talent and suitable access to opportunities within the Waterloo community. We provide opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to engage in impactful projects through collaboration with companies and internal research. 

What is the data science club 

• We are a MathSoc club dedicated to building a community of students passionate about exploring the field of Data Science. DSC hosts workshops/events throughout the term, mostly academic focused . Our iconic mascots include Echo the Whale and Bert (ref the ML model by Google) 

Waterloo Data and AI believes that focusing on important applications has a crucial benefit, beyond advancing the application areas themselves. It allows Waterloo AI to identify – and overcome – shortcomings in existing artificial intelligence approaches and contribute to the field's foundations. 

Waterloo AI’s key foundational research areas: 

• Machine learning, statistical learning, and data mining 

• Probabilistic models, knowledge discovery, and knowledge representation 

• Intelligent agents and game theory 

• Optimization and decision making

• Data science and analytics 

• Affective computing and sentiment analysis 

• Human-machine interaction 

Areas of focus for AI research with the institute: 

• Economical futures 

• Technological futures 

• Societal futures 

• Sustainable futures  

• Health Futures 

You can find more information about these futures under ‘Areas of Focus’ on our website.

Waterloo AI has several important academic collaborators on a national and global level. Both the national and global academic collaborators bring excellent value to the Waterloo AI Institute. Our collaborators provide us with additional resources and information to support the institute's operations. 

Waterloo AI’s academic collaborators:  

National Collaborators 

• AGE-WELL – Network of Centers of Excellence 
• Mila – Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms 
• Amii – Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute
• Vector – Vector Institute for AI 

Global Collaborators 

• University of Bordeaux 
• NARLabs – National Applied Research Laboratories 
• KERI – Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute 
• Watson – IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center 

Affiliated Research Centres  

• Advanced Aging Research Centre ARC 

• Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience

• Bioengineering and Technology CBB 

• Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute CPI 

• Centre for Automotive Research WatCAR 

• And tons more  

Affiliated Research Labs 

• KIMIA Lab  
• Artificial Intelligence Group 
• Autonomous Systems Laboratory  
• Mechatronic Vehicle Systems lab  
• Human-Computer Interaction Lab  

Waterloo AI provides companies with four different partnership level agreements, ranging from ‘Bronze’ to ‘Platinum.’ The ‘Bronze’ partnership level pertains to the lowest annual contribution ($10,000 - $49,000), with a “no minimum” commitment. As for the highest partnership level (‘Platinum’), there is a minimum annual contribution of $250,000 and a “4-year minimum” commitment. The significance of the four different partnership levels is the annual contribution amount, and the length of the sponsorship commitment. Additionally, this enables more of a tailored partnership agreement. 

• The Institute offers paid partnership options. In the Prime package for example (CDN$250,000 annually for at least four years), partners get a rotating position as an external industry officer on Waterloo. Ai’s advisory board, access to Principal Investigators (PI) and Grad Students to address defined research problems, and so forth. Current sponsors include General Motors Canada, Huawei Technologies, RBC Borealis AI, Shopify, Loblaw Companies Limited, etc. 

• As an ambitious pair of “AI Twins,” Toronto — Waterloo can be expected to accelerate the commercialization of AI in Canada. 

Please contact the managing director with any questions or concerns:  

Industry partner sponsorship levels: 

At Waterloo AI, we recognize the impact artificial intelligence will have on society. Artificial intelligence can change our lives – transforming how we work, travel, treat disease, communicate, and learn. 

Waterloo AI plays a vital role in the advancement and implementation of AI technology. Researchers at the University of Waterloo are currently developing intelligent systems that can detect cancer and heart disease, understanding language and emotion, and navigate roadways and factory floors better than ever before. This is just the beginning of the institutes AI innovations that can benefit society.  

Waterloo AI plays a pivotal role in society by advancing artificial intelligence research and its real-world applications. The institute fosters collaboration between academia, industry, and government to address pressing societal challenges through innovative AI solutions. Its work supports a wide range of sectors, including healthcare, transportation, finance, and environmental sustainability, helping to drive progress and improve quality of life. Waterloo AI also plays a key role in educating and training the next generation of AI experts, ensuring that society benefits from ethical, responsible, and impactful AI technologies. The institute works to ensure that AI advancements are inclusive and accessible, bridging the gap between innovative innovations and the broader community. 

Learn more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUaI5KXDlu8