Years of asking questions, challenging assumptions and pushing knowledge forward have led to this moment. Our newest PhD graduates have already made their mark, and their next chapters are just beginning.
Congratulations to three faculty members in Arts who have been recognized by the Royal Society of Canada (RSC). This month the RSC announced its new fellows, members and award recipients. Among them are Dr. Andrew Cooper, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Dr. Myra Fernandes, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and Dr. Geoffrey Fong, FRSC, recipient of the RSC Jackman Prize.
Arts Orientation helps ease nerves, creating opportunities for students to connect and reminding them that everyone is navigating the same transition. “It helped me feel like I belonged in Waterloo,” said AFM student Gurman Johal.
Arts is honoured to welcome Dr. Talia Bettcher as the Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair in Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Trans Community Resilience. Joining the School of Social, Political and Historical Research, she is internationally recognized as a ground-breaking philosopher and scholar in the interdisciplinary field of transgender studies
Twenty research projects led by Faculty of Arts researchers have received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada to develop solutions for a more resilient and equitable future. “The diversity of Arts' scholarship highlights the strength of Waterloo’s research ecosystem and its capacity to produce innovative, impactful work with local, national, and global significance,” said Ana Ferrer, Associate Dean, Research.
Five interdisciplinary research projects addressing societal issues will strengthen our new schools’ research activity and create opportunities for faculty and graduate students to engage in transformative research that pushes traditional disciplinary boundaries.
I am incredibly proud to celebrate an exciting milestone for the Faculty of Arts with the launch of our new schools. Yesterday, July 1, marked the moment when the Faculty's new organizational structure was realized — we are now six schools.
Dr. Daniel Smilek from Psychology is among four exceptional Waterloo educators who have received the 2026 Distinguished Teacher Award — one of the institution’s highest honours celebrating excellence in teaching.
Completing a PhD means spending years at the edge of human understanding and choosing, every day, to push further. These graduates have already changed how we see the world — and they're just getting started.
The School of Accounting and Finance (SAF), the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, and the Faculty of Arts mourn the loss of Professor Tony Wirjanto, a mentor and scholar whose impact extended well beyond the University and was shaped by his deep commitment to sustainability and climate research.