Friday, April 24, 2026

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• Waterloo names three new University Professors
• April's CareNext Collective envisions AI‑empowered patients
• Remembering Pam De Leo

Waterloo names three new University Professors

University Professors N. Asokan, Randy Harris, and John McPhee.

The University of Waterloo has named three faculty members as University Professors. The 2026 University Professor designations are:

• N. Asokan, Cheriton School of Computer Science;
• Randy Harris, English Language and Literature; and
• John McPhee, Systems Design Engineering.

N. Asokan

Professor N. Asokan joined the Cheriton School of Computer Science in September 2019 as a Cheriton Chair, a position he held until December 2025. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the Association for Computing Machinery, and the Royal Society of Canada. ACM’s Special Interest Group on Security, Audit and Control selected him for the 2018 ACM SIGSAC Outstanding Innovation Award, a prestigious honour recognizing technical contributions with lasting impact on the theory and development of secure systems. He served as Executive Director of Waterloo’s Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute from May 2021 to November 2025.

“Congratulations to N. Asokan on being named a University Professor, a much-deserved honour,” said Raouf Boutaba, Director of the Cheriton School of Computer Science. “His contributions to network and systems security have advanced the field and influenced practice, leading to both real-world applications and broad national and international recognition.”

Read the full story on the Computer Science website.

Randy Harris

Congratulations to Dr. Randy Allen Harris on being named University Professor, a prestigious designation that “recognizes exceptional scholarly achievement and international pre-eminence in a particular field or fields of knowledge”. Harris, a professor of English Language and Literature cross-appointed to Computer Science, is noted for the enthusiasm of his research and teaching. His departmental bio describes him as “toiling joyfully” throughout his career.

Harris has expressed his gratitude for the designation by spreading the honour around. “This recognition is both very gratifying and very humbling,” he says. “But there's no way I could have made the progress I have made, or had near as much fun, without the support of my colleagues at all levels—department, faculty, and university—or the inspiration of my students.”

Read the full story on the Faculty of Arts website.

John McPhee

John McPhee is a leading expert in system dynamics who has pioneered the mathematical development of graph-theoretic modelling, launching the highly impactful field of multibody system dynamics. His advances in symbolic computing and simulation were commercialized by Maplesoft and are used by thousands worldwide to accelerate the design of complex mechatronic systems, with applications spanning hybrid electric vehicles, exoskeletons, rehabilitation robots, and sports engineering. He received the Professional Engineers Ontario Gold Medal in recognition of his impact.

A co-architect of Waterloo's mechatronics and biomedical engineering programs and former executive director of the Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research, McPhee has supervised more than 125 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, many of whom have become academic leaders and innovators in emerging technologies.

Read the full story on the Faculty of Engineering website.

“The University of Waterloo owes much of its international reputation and stature to the quality of its eminent professors,” wrote Vice-President, Academic and Provost Tom Duever in a memo included in the Board of Governors agenda package. “UWaterloo recognizes exceptional scholarly achievement and international pre-eminence through the designation “University Professor”. Once appointed, a faculty member retains the designation until retirement. Not counting retirees, it is anticipated there will be one University Professor for approximately every 60 full-time regular faculty members, with at most two appointments each year. Such appointments are reported to Senate and the Board of Governors in March and April respectively.”

Since 2004, the University has awarded this distinction to 38 other individuals. To view an alphabetical list of University Professors, visit the University Professors website.

April's CareNext Collective envisions AI‑empowered patients

A major shift is underway in health care: patients are increasingly turning to AI to make sense of symptoms, test results, and care options before they ever speak to a clinician. 

How should health systems respond? Join the CareNext Collective on Monday, April 27 for a landmark conversation featuring Edward Marx, co-author of The AI-Empowered Patient, and Zayna Khayat, one of Canada’s most prominent voices on the future of health, together with Dr. Payal Agarwal, chief medical information and innovation officer at WRHN, and patient advocate Alvina Nadeem to examine how AI is reshaping the patient journey, the clinical encounter, and the broader future of care.  

It is a conversation designed to spark dialogue, inform thinking, and engage participants from across the country in one of the most important emerging issues in health care.

The event takes place on Monday, April 27, from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m. online.

Register now.

Remembering Pam De Leo

Pam De Leo (centre), surrounded by her Residence Life team in 2013.

A message from Campus Housing.

Campus Housing recently received the sad news that Palmina “Pam” De Leo passed away in the early morning of Saturday, April 11.

Pam De Leo began her 30+ year career at the University in 1986. During her time at UWaterloo, she took on many roles: from housekeeping, to working at the Conference Centre in Ron Eydt Village, to her final role as the Residence Life Coordinator (RLC) for Columbia Lake Village (CLV). Those who worked with Pam closely know that she devoted her University of Waterloo career to supporting students (particularly graduate students and student families in her years as an RLC), and that she approached her work and community building with extraordinary compassion, patience, and care. She was a valued member of the “CLV Crew” and shared many laughs, potlucks, and get-togethers.

Pam will be deeply missed by those she worked with and by the students she served. Those who knew Pam know that she brought people together through thoughtful and inclusive community programming that fostered belonging across cultures, ages, and life circumstances. She was deeply respected for her empathy and humanity, approaching even the most complex or difficult situations with calm, fairness, and kindness.

Pam believed strongly that residence was more than housing - it was a home, and she worked tirelessly to ensure that academic, family, and personal needs were met with dignity and care. She played a transformative role in shaping the Columbia Lake Village community, helping build it into a safe, welcoming, and connected place for families from around the world. Her legendary early-morning pancake breakfasts (often beginning preparation at 5 or 6 am!) regularly drew hundreds of graduate students together on Fridays in the CLV Community Centre and became cherished traditions for years until she retired. Many colleagues will also fondly remember Pam shuttling her teams around in the “Pam Mobile”, her dedication to the United Way lunches, her readiness to help at a moment’s notice, and the countless family/child-focused programs she passionately championed in CLV.

Pam also brought her whole self to work. She openly shared stories of her children and grandchildren, welcomed and hosted team socials in her own home, taught colleagues how to make her famous lasagna, and regularly volunteered to bring homemade zucchini fritters to work (alongside her husband Tony!) which became a beloved staple at team socials. Her warmth, hospitality, collaborative spirit, and work ethic left a lasting impression on those she worked with, strengthening teams and modelling what it means to lead with heart.

Pam was a cherished member of the Campus Housing team, and her legacy lives on in the communities she helped build, the students and families whose lives she touched, and the many colleagues who were inspired by her generosity and compassion. Our sympathies and thoughts are extended to her husband Tony, her children, her family, friends, and colleagues.

More information about Pam’s life and memory can be found in the family’s tribute message.