Friday, July 25, 2025

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• When support comes full circle
• Appointment of Associate Vice-President, Research Grants and Infrastructure
• Disability Inclusion Steering Committee delivers final recommendations for advancing accessibility  
• Get ahead of the back-to-school rush! Place your custom orders at W Store now

 When support comes full circle

This is the latest article from the 2025 Waterloo Magazine.

Disney Lam (BMath ’14) was inspired by her father to pursue a career in technology, leading her to roles at Google, Facebook and NVIDIA.

After her father passed in 2022, she established the Tung Lam Women in Computer Science Scholarship to honour his memory. The scholarship provides $5,000 each to two female-identifying students at Waterloo.

“I think in tech you sometimes lose the human element … I want to understand what people want to do in their careers and where they want to grow. I’m hoping to meet the scholarship recipients and be part of their journey too,” she said.  

Read the full circle story on how Lam is leveraging technology to influence business decisions and outcomes through the systems she builds.

Appointment of Associate Vice-President, Research Grants and Infrastructure

Professor Kirsten M. Müller has been appointed Associate Vice-President, Research Grants and Infrastructure, effective September 1, 2025. Dr, Müller is a Professor in the Department of Biology and is cross appointed in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering. She brings a wealth of academic and leadership experience, along with a strong collaborative approach to the role. In alignment with the recommendations from the review of the Office, the Associate Vice-President (APV) title for this role has been updated to AVP, Research Grants and Infrastructure to better reflect the key priorities of the portfolio as stated in the job advertisement. 

Over the past 25 years, Professor Müller has served in numerous administrative positions at Waterloo including Associate Chairs of Biology (Graduate and Undergraduate Studies), Associate Dean of Science (Graduate Studies), Assistant Vice-President (Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs) and most recently Chair of the Department of Biology. She has also been active in executive leadership training, including being selected for Homeward Bound - a yearlong leadership program for women leaders in STEMM - and the Harvard Women in Education Leadership Program.  

Many thanks to the selection committee: Susan Elliott, Chris Houser, Marina Mourtzakis, Ian Milligan, Karim Karim, Alexie Tcheuyap, Justin Wan, and Katy Wong-Francq who provided their time and thoughtful contributions throughout the hiring process.

Bernard Duncker will conclude his term as Associate Vice-President, Research and International at the end of August.  Professor Duncker led numerous complex files for the office such as the Centres and Institutes, Core Research Facilities, the National Research Council Canada partnership, Interdisciplinary Research, Institutional Research, Funding Agencies and Non-Profit Sponsors. As the delegate for the Vice-President, Research and International on many external committees, he provided invaluable service to the VPRI office, the University and beyond.

Disability Inclusion Steering Committee delivers final recommendations for advancing accessibility  

In 2022/23, then-Vice-President, Academic and Provost, James W.E. Rush, established the Disability Inclusion Steering Committee (DISCo) to advise on accessibility matters with the goal of removing barriers to Waterloo’s world-class education, furthering our commitment to fostering a culture of disability inclusion.  

Since then, DISCo has been working to address accessibility concerns within nine thematic areas identified by the provincial Standard Development Committee as posing barriers to post-secondary education, including but not limited to perceptions and assumptions; assessment, curriculum, and instruction; digital learning and technology; as well as physical and financial barriers. Using the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) Post-Secondary Education Standard recommendations as a framework, DISCo collaborated with stakeholders across campus to implement initiatives that make Waterloo’s world-class education more accessible to all. 

Thanks to the collective efforts of faculty and staff, DISCo successfully completed its six project mandates within the projected timeline. The committee’s final report, submitted to former Provost Rush, outlined five key recommendations to further advance accessibility at Waterloo. These recommendations were formally endorsed by Provost Rush, marking a strong institutional commitment to continued progress. 

Contributing to the success of DISCo meeting its mandate was the provision of executive-level oversight that ensured ongoing sponsorship and visibility of projects. This effective model will serve as the framework for an ongoing Accessibility Steering Committee that will include standing membership of the Associate Provost, Campus Support and Accessibility; the Associate Vice-President, Academic; and a rotating member from Deans’ Council, with other members selectively included based on the collaboration needs at the time. Paul Fieguth, Associate Vice-President, Academic Operations, has been appointed as the first rotating member from Deans’ Council, beginning July 1, 2025. In addition, the Office of the Associate Provost, Campus Support and Accessibility will soon launch a new AODA service model designed to support Executive Council members and the broader campus community in understanding and fulfilling their AODA responsibilities. 

As Waterloo continues to build a more inclusive campus, the contributions of DISCo and its partners will remain a cornerstone of this important work going forward. 

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