News

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.

As Assistant Vice-President, Academic Leadership and Strategic Initiatives, Henderson will oversee the Academic Leadership Program and guide several initiatives within the Associate Vice-President, Academic portfolio, including supporting evaluation activities

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

Dr. Locksley Edmondson, the first Black professor at Waterloo, died on August 18, 2026 in Ithaca, New York, at age 92. An influential Jamaican scholar whose career spanned over five decades across several countries, Edmondson joined Waterloo’s new Political Science department in 1963.

Dr. John North, professor of English, passed away August 10 at the age of 86, leaving a long legacy as a scholar and teaching at the University of Waterloo.

Mathieu Doucet has been appointed Associate Vice-President, Research Oversight and Integrity, effective August 1, bringing significant relevant experience to the role including serving as Chair of the Philosophy Department for the past three years

Congratulations to Dr. Geoffrey Fong on receiving funding from Canadian Institutes of Health Research for a new international project looking at the effects of tobacco control policies and smoking reduction in low- and middle-income countries

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.