Monday, January 5, 2026

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• And we're back for 2026
• Test of the campus emergency notification system tomorrow

• Adam Molnar named Interim Executive Director of the Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute

• Staebler Insurance OER Fellows Grant now accepting applications

• Writing and Communication Centre programming for winter 2026

And we're back for 2026

We're another year older and hopefully another year wiser. The winter 2026 term kicks off today, with students returning for lectures and classes. The University's operations are kicking off today as well. Here are some highlights:

The Centre in Needles Hall opened today at 8:30 a.m.

The Campus Housing Office in REV South opened at 8:30 a.m.

The Libraries' regular term hours begin today.

Food Services operations are back up and running.

IST Service Desks in the Davis Centre and Dana Porter libraries reopened on Saturday, January 3.

WUSA's Welcome Week starts tomorrow with a Welcome Brunch on Tuesday, January 6, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (while supplies last) in the Student Life Centre's Great Hall.

And in administrative news, Dr. John Lewis’s 18-month term as Interim Associate Vice-President, Indigenous Relations began on January 1. Prior to his appointment, Dr. Lewis served as Director, Indigenous Faculty Relations in the Office of Indigenous Relations. Dr. Lewis is an associate professor in the School of Planning.

Test of the campus emergency notification system tomorrow

On Tuesday, January 6, the emergency notification system (ENS) provided by Regroup will be tested on a campus-wide basis. 

The test will include the following communications channels: 

• SMS/text 
• Email
•  X (formerly Twitter) 
• Regroup Mobile (safety app) 
• Desktop Alert 
• Campus Safety webpage 

Please ensure that you have:

1. downloaded Regroup Mobile to your device and follow the login and recommended settings steps,
2. ensured your cell phone number is up to date either in the app if you are staff, or in Quest if you are a student,
3. downloaded and installed the Desktop Alert tool onto your computer if your computer is not managed by the University.

If you have any questions about the upcoming test, or about how to make sure Regroup’s app and desktop alert are installed properly on your devices, email ens@uwaterloo.ca.

Adam Molnar named Interim Executive Director of the Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute

A message from Charmaine Dean, Vice-President, Research and International.

On December 1, 2025, Adam Molnar, Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Legal Studies, was appointed Interim Executive Director of the Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute (CPI) for a one-year term.

As a CPI member and the Arts representative on CPI’s Faculty Advisory Committee, Professor Molnar is poised to hit the ground running in his new role. Leading a diverse network of researchers that address the urgent challenges of our digital ecosystem, Dr. Molnar advocates for an interdisciplinary and “multi-sectoral approach” to these challenges, actively facilitating high-level collaboration between academic researchers, industry partners, government regulators, and civil society groups.

Professor Molnar advances a vision of CPI as a critical hub for knowledge exchange, translating technical advancements into resilient industry standards and informed regulatory governance. This approach is grounded by his experience in organizing key knowledge exchanges for academics, policymakers, and community members, ensuring that digital rights remain central to technological development.

Reflecting his methodological focus on cross-disciplinary scholarship, Dr. Molnar recently guest-edited a special issue of the Internet Policy Review analyzing the collaborative practices required to study cybersecurity and privacy. He also leads cross-disciplinary teams investigating the social and legal implications of surveillance technologies, with a focus on delivering regulatory outcomes with tangible societal impact. Dr. Molnar’s work has been supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), The British Academy, and the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. As Executive Director, he continues to cultivate an institutional environment where interdisciplinary teams can secure external funding and drive innovation that serves the public good.

Thank you to outgoing CPI Executive Director, N. Asokan, for his superb leadership over the past year. Thanks to his strong vision for CPI, the institute was selected as part of the first round of Global Futures Initiatives, a reflection of CPI’s tremendous profile and impact.

I look forward to seeing what the next chapter holds for CPI.

Staebler Insurance OER Fellows Grant now accepting applications

A message from the Library.

As part of the Library’s efforts to ensure learning materials are freely accessible and available to learners and researchers at Waterloo, we’re once again seeking applications from Waterloo instructors with projects to create or adapt an open educational resource (OER) for a Waterloo course.

Grants of up to $5000 will be awarded to cover expenses such as work time and/or software needed to create the proposed OER.

Applications will be accepted until Monday, February 23, 2026, via an online form and will be reviewed by a cross-campus committee. Awarded projects will be announced in March 2026.

The grant is supported by a generous donation from Staebler Insurance and all materials created as part of these projects will be made publicly available.

If you have questions about the grant or the application, join the Libraries for an online drop-in session on January 14, or email the grant administrator at OERgrant@uwaterloo.ca.

Writing and Communication Centre programming for winter 2026

The Writing and Communication Centre (WCC) has announced its programming for the winter term.

Weekly Black, Indigenous, and Racialized Students’ Writing Café - The in-person Black, Indigenous and Racialized Students' Writing Café is a social writing group. Unlike traditional peer feedback-based writing groups, we don’t read each other’s finished writing: instead, we write together to create a community of writers who can cheer each other on during what is often an isolating, difficult journey! 

When: Tuesdays from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (January 6 to April 28)

Where: Hagey Hall 2034 (The Project Cube)

Weekly In-Person Grad Writing Cafés - Grab a coffee and get writing. Join our network of graduate student, postdoc, and faculty writers at the Grad Writing Café! Meet other writers, stay on track, and make progress on your work. Writing doesn't have to be solitary!

When: Wednesdays from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Where: GSA Lounge (SCL 3216)

Multilingual Writers’ Studio: Revision Strategies - Through structured activities, peer dialogue, and reflective writing, participants will build strategies to negotiate academic expectations while sustaining their own voices and identities as writers.

When: Every Thursday between January 15 and February 12 from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon

Where: SLC 3216 (GSA Grad Lounge)

Register on Portal

Dissertation Boost Camp - Stop stalling and start writing! Build a sustainable plan, make progress on your writing and give your productivity a boost with Dissertation Boost Camp. This intensive four-day program (in-person and online) is designed to provide dedicated and quiet writing space for students who are looking to jumpstart their thesis- or dissertation-writing process.

When: February 17 to 20 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day

Where: SLC 3216 (GSA Grad Lounge) or online (this is a hybrid program)

Apply by January 16!

Rock Your Thesis 2: Starting to Write - The second in the three-part "Rock Your Thesis" series, this workshop will equip you with the skills you need to start writing a large academic writing project like a thesis, dissertation or dissertation proposal.

When: January 22 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Where: SLC 3216 (GSA Grad Lounge)

Register on Portal

STEM Writers’ Grad Studio: Peer Review - Graduate writing can feel isolating—but it doesn’t have to. Peer review is an evidence-based approach to strengthen your writing and deepen your understanding of STEM genre conventions. In our six-week STEM Writers Grad Studio: Peer Review program, we put the benefits of peer review into practice. 

When: Tuesdays between February 3 and March 17 (no session on February 17) from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Where: GSA Lounge (SLC3216)

Register on Portal

Generative AI and the Literature Review Webinar - The literature review can be a challenging and time-consuming component of a research project. Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) can’t write your literature review for you, but this workshop will explore and introduce GenAI tools you may use as supports in the literature review process. We will identify ethical, legal, and intellectual property pitfalls associated with GenAI use, and offer guidelines and strategies for productive, ethical, and appropriate use of specific GenAI tools for specific purposes at each stage of the research and writing process. 

When: Friday, February 6 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Where: Teams

Register on Portal

Rock Your Thesis 3: Revise and Submit - The third in the three-part “Rock Your Thesis” series, this workshop will equip you with the skills you need to revise your thesis or dissertation draft and plan to submit and defend it.  

When: April 16 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Where: GSA Lounge (SLC3216)

Register on Portal