News

Four University of Waterloo teams of algorithmic programmers, each with a triad of coders, ranked within the top 14 at the 2024 ICPC East Central North America contest, held on November 10 at the University of Windsor. Competing against teams from universities across east central North America, Waterloo’s teams placed third, seventh, 10^th and 14^th.

A conversation with Professor Xiao Hu, where she discusses her database theory research and its applications to practical database systems, advice for aspiring computer scientists, and what excites her 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.

A recently released update to the QS subject ranking for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence puts the University of Waterloo second in Canada and 40^th globally.

The results are part of the annual QS World University Rankings by Subject, which rank approximately 1,600 universities in 54 disciplines. Indicators for the subject rankings are drawn from a peer review survey, employer survey, citations data and collaboration data.

On Friday, September 27, the School of Computer Science held its annual Cheriton Research Symposium, a showcase of research excellence made possible by David R. Cheriton’s generous investment in computer science research. In the afternoon, the School hosted a well-attended poster session featuring the work of 12 graduate students.

Cheriton School of Computer Science Professors Freda Shi and Victor Zhong have been named Canada CIFAR AI Chairs and appointed as Faculty Members at the Vector Institute. They are two of three distinguished researchers in the latest cohort to receive this prestigious national recognition.

A trio of Waterloo’s top algorithmic programmers showcased their expertise at the 48^th International Collegiate Programming Contest World Finals, held in Astana, Kazakhstan, from September 15 to 20, 2024. This prestigious global competition attracted elite programming talent from over 140 universities, representing more than 50 countries.

The University of Waterloo has recognized recent PhD graduate Dr. Nils Lukas with the 2024 Alumni Gold Medal for his exceptional academic performance in a doctoral program. This prestigious award, conferred by Alumni Relations, features a custom-crafted, 24-carat gold-plated medal embossed with the university’s seal. Since 1970, the Alumni Gold Medal has been conferred to top graduating students from Waterloo’s six faculties at convocation.

Professor Ihab Ilyas has been named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the highest national recognition for researchers in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and sciences. He is among 104 distinguished individuals across Canada recognized this year for their exceptional scholarly, artistic, and scientific achievements.