Cheriton School of Computer Science Professor Justin Wan has been appointed one of two Assistant Vice Presidents for Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs for a two-year term. He is joined in this position by Professor Clarence Woudsma from the School of Planning.
Professor Wan has been a faculty member at the University of Waterloo since 2001. From 2010–15, he was Director of the Centre for Computational Mathematics in Industry and Commerce. From 2015–18, he served as Associate Director of the Cheriton School of Computer Science. Professor Wan also led a cross-unit committee to develop a new Master of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence program.
Professor Wan’s research area is scientific computing. By combining ideas and theories from mathematical modelling and numerical computation, he and his students develop advanced, robust and efficient numerical techniques to solve complex problems arising in science, engineering, finance and economics. Applications of his research include medical image processing, machine learning and neural network models for financial applications, and simulation of physical phenomena.
Most recently, Professor Wan was the Director of Graduate Studies at the Cheriton School of Computer Science, where he led the graduate office team during the turbulent pandemic times, ensuring that graduate students and their needs were at the forefront of the work of the team. During his most recent directorship tenure, he worked to support the financial needs of grad students and created opportunities for efficiencies for staff and faculty. He also co-directs the Computing and Financial Management Program, a position he has held since 2019.
About the Assistant VP, GSPA position
The Assistant VP, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs, is part of the senior leadership team that supports excellence in graduate education, thriving communities for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, and related initiatives that align with the University’s Strategic Plan and the vision for graduate studies. The activities of the Assistant Vice President are varied but fall within broader GSPA goals, including enhancing the experience of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, strengthening relationships and providing leadership to academic partners, facilitating graduate experiential learning and interdisciplinary activities, cultivating a strong and diverse graduate community, ensure proficiency within internal graduate processes.
The Assistant Vice-Presidents support the activities of several processes within GSPA, such as adjudicating graduate awards and scholarships, coordinating and providing consultation on the graduate student petition process, providing of academic oversight to admissions, and identifying ways to streamline and innovate current procedures.
Professors Wan and Woudsma will work with Jeff Casello, Associate Vice-President, GSPA, and Marianne Simm, Director, GSPA, to provide academic leadership and oversight on graduate studies and postdoctoral affairs at the university.