The C&O department has 36 faculty members and 60 graduate students. We are intensely research oriented and hold a strong international reputation in each of our six major areas:
- Algebraic combinatorics
- Combinatorial optimization
- Continuous optimization
- Cryptography
- Graph theory
- Quantum computing
Read more about the department's research to learn of our contributions to the world of mathematics!
News
Three C&O faculty win Outstanding Performance Awards
The awards are given each year to faculty members across the University of Waterloo who demonstrate excellence in teaching and research.
Sina Kalantarzadeh wins Governor General's Gold Medal
The Governor General’s Gold Medal is one of the highest student honours awarded by the University of Waterloo.
Two C&O faculty win Outstanding Performance Awards
The awards are given each year to faculty members across the University of Waterloo who demonstrate excellence in teaching and research.
Events
Crypto Reading Group on quantum computing | Mojtaba Fadavi and Taha Hedayat, Quantum Circuits
| Speaker: | Mojtaba Fadavi & Taha Hedayat |
| Affiliation: | University of Waterloo |
| Room: | MC 5501 |
Abstract: Equipped with the knowledge of quantum information, we present how to use quantum states to build a quantum algorithm. While classical circuits represent how one makes algorithms using the bits 0 and 1, quantum circuits represent how one makes algorithms using qubits $\ket{\alpha} = \alpha_0 \ket{0} + \alpha_1\ket{1}$. In this presentation, we will introduce the definition and presentation of quantum gates. Starting with 1-qubit gates and expanding to n-qubit gates. We also present the standard gates such as the Pauli Gates, CNOT, CCNOT, SWAP, etc. Then we proceed to see the effects and interactions of these gates along with some measurements.
Algebraic and Enumerative Combinatorics Seminar | Jun Yan, Exact enumeration of lozenge tilings of a triangular region
| Speaker: | Jun Yan |
| Affiliation: | University of Waterloo |
| Location: | MC 5417 |
Abstract: Tiling enumerations problems have fascinating connections with many other combinatorial problems involving perfect matchings, lattice paths, and determinants. In this talk, I will briefly survey some of the classical results and methods in this area. Then, I will present a new result enumerating lozenge tilings of a triangular region. Interestingly, the formula, reminiscent of the famous Kasteleyn formula counting domino tilings of the rectangle, contains roots of unity and does not obviously output an integer.
There will be a pre-seminar presenting relevant background at the beginning graduate level starting at 1:30pm.
Tutte Colloquium | Jake Doliskani, Quantum Money: From Wiesner to Standard Assumptions
| Speaker: | Jake Doliskani |
| Affiliation: | McMaster University |
| Location: | MC 5501 |
Abstract: Quantum money is one of the earliest ideas in quantum cryptography: a banknote is represented by a quantum state that cannot simply be copied. Wiesner’s original proposal required the bank to verify every transaction, motivating the notion of public-key quantum money, where anyone can verify a banknote while only the bank can create new ones.
In this talk, I will trace the story of quantum money from Wiesner’s scheme, through the hidden-subspace construction of Aaronson and Christiano, to Zhandry’s recent construction from abelian group actions. I will discuss why previous proposals were either broken or relied on non-standard assumptions, and then present recent work showing that Zhandry’s construction can be based, in the generic group-action model, on the standard group-action discrete logarithm assumption. I will conclude with the main idea behind the security proof.