Future students

Five incoming graduate students have been awarded Vector Scholarships in Artificial Intelligence (VSAI).

Established in 2017, the Vector Institute supports AI talent, drives research excellence and fosters AI-based innovation in Canada. Its annual VSAI program recognizes top students across Ontario, who are enrolled in Vector-recognized master’s programs and those pursuing individualized AI study paths.

This year’s cohort of 120 scholarship recipients across the province will receive a total of $2.1 million in funding, with each student awarded $17,500.

Professor Gautam Kamath has been awarded $140,000 from the Ontario Early Researcher Awards program to further his research on algorithms and machine learning techniques that preserve data privacy. 

The amount from the Ontario government is matched by $50,000 from the University of Waterloo, bringing total funding to $190,000.

Professor Jian Zhao has received an Ontario Early Researcher Award, which will provide $140,000 in funding to support his research on enhancing software development through visual interfaces and generative AI. 

The funding from the Ontario government is matched by an additional $50,000 from the University of Waterloo, bringing total funding to $190,000 over five years.

Launched by the Computing Research Association in 2023, the UR2PhD program is designed to broaden access to undergraduate research experiences and inspire students to pursue graduate studies.

Among its institutional partners is the University of Waterloo, where Cheriton School of Computer Science Professor Edith Law coordinates the program locally.

Chris Trevisan, a fourth-year computer science student, is one of eight recipients — and the only recipient from a Canadian university — to receive the 2025 Computing Research Association Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award. The association’s top recognition honours exceptional undergraduate students from universities across North America who demonstrate outstanding research potential in the field of computing.

A conversation with Professor Yuntian Deng, where he discusses his natural language processing and machine learning research, advice for aspiring computer scientists, and his excitement about joining the Cheriton School of Computer Science.

Based on its program and research reputation, the Cheriton School of Computer Science has again been ranked number one in Canada in the 2025 Maclean’s university rankings. This marks the fifth consecutive year that CS at Waterloo has received this prestigious distinction.

For Kefan Cao, university has been about finding a balance between working hard and having fun.

Cao is this year’s recipient of the Faculty of Mathematics K.D. Fryer Gold Medal, an honour given to a student who exemplifies academic excellence, good citizenship and involvement in extracurricular activities. He graduates this Friday with a Bachelor of Computer Science degree.