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Reimagining the future of eye care
This is an excerpt from an article that was originally in Waterloo News.
The University of Waterloo welcomes Dr. James Wolffsohn from the U.K. as a Government of Canada Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair in Health Innovation. Wolffsohn is joining the School of Optometry and Vision Science and will continue his work advancing technology-driven solutions for earlier detection, personalized treatment, and equitable access to eye care.
Wolffsohn will officially join Waterloo on October 1, 2026, and establish a research program that spans the full innovation pipeline, from discovery and research through to commercialization, while engaging Waterloo students at every stage.
Say yes and try new things: Asif Poonja’s path from Waterloo to Fujitsu CEO
This is an excerpt from an article originally published on Waterloo News.
When Asif Poonja (BMath ’96) looks back on his career, he doesn’t describe a carefully plotted path to the c-suite. Instead, he talks about curiosity, saying yes to unfamiliar opportunities and connecting the dots between people, business and technology.
Poonja came to the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Mathematics without a fixed career plan. A co-op term at Nortel gave him some direction. “I hadn’t really decided what I wanted to do,” he recalls. “I loved computers, I loved programming. But what I really liked was the intersection of business and technology.” That realization led him to study Business Information Systems, a demanding mix of math, computer science and business courses split between Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University.
Throughout the program, co-op terms taught him what he didn’t want to do. Those real-world experiences were invaluable. At the Toronto Stock Exchange, he coded systems tied directly to trading activity. “That connection between business and technology really hit home for me,” he says. “I wanted to apply my skill sets to business and work with business teams to define requirements.”
With each step of his career, Poonja collected new experiences, driven by his willingness to try new things. After a couple of industry-specific jobs, he moved into consulting at Deloitte, which sharpened his people skills.
Over 12 years at Deloitte, Poonja progressed from analyst to senior manager, gradually taking on more responsibility. He credits his curiosity with that progression. When new opportunities arose, he was willing to try different things and made a conscious effort to relate all his work back to the business.
Read more about Poonja's path to CEO on Waterloo News.
What's open and closed on campus Labour Day weekend
Monday, September 7 is a holiday and operations at the University may be affected.
Here’s what’s open and closed over the next few days:
The Student Life Centre (SLC), SLC Turnkey are 24/7. Flock Stop will be open Saturday, September 5 and Sunday September 6, 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Flock Stop will re-open Monday September 7 at 7:30 a.m. and remain open 24 hours/day until otherwise indicated. Turnkey at the Davis Centre (DC) reopens September 9.
W Store in South Campus Hall will be open Saturday, September 5 and Sunday, September 6 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. but will be closed Monday, September 7. Check the W Store website for locations and hours for more details.
Most Food Services operations will be closed on Monday, September 7, except for The Market at Claudette Millar Hall (CMH) , which will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Check out the Food Services website to find the full list of locations and hours.
PAC and CIF are open with reduced hours. PAC and CIF are open Saturday, September from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. PAC is open Sunday, September 6, and Monday, September 7, 9 a.m.to 10:30 p.m. CIF will be closed Sunday and Monday.
All Campus Wellness locations will be closed.
The Libraries are open on Saturday, September 5 and Sunday, September 6 with reduced hours. The Libraries will be closed on Monday, September 7. Musagetes Architecture Library will remain accessible to students on Monday from 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. with no Library Help Desk Hours. Chat With Us, is available 24/7 through LibBot. Check out the Libraries website for their full list of hours.
Campus move-in is happening from Thursday, September 3 to Sunday, September 6. Check out the City of Waterloo website for local road closures to accommodate the off-campus arrival of thousands of students as they prepare to go back to school.
When and Where
The Campus Wellness Student Medical Clinic offers healthcare visits with Physicians and Nurse Practitioners to current undergraduate and graduate students. Services include: vaccinations, immunity testing, naturopathic services and more. Counselling Services offers appointments with counsellors in person as well as via phone and video. Students can book appointments for these services by calling Campus Wellness at 519-888-4096.
The privately-run Student Health Pharmacy (located in the lower level of the Student Life Centre) is now offering new COVID booster shots and flu shots. Covid booster shots are available by appointment only – please call ext. 33784 or 519-746-4500. The Student Health Pharmacy’s summer hours are Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Naloxone kits are still available – pick them up in the pharmacy at no charge.
The Waterloo Eye Institute optometry clinics in Waterloo and downtown Kitchener offer comprehensive eye exams and eyewear, including glasses and contact lenses, with the Waterloo location offering various specialized services including urgent eye care. Discounts apply for University of Waterloo students and employees. The Waterloo Clinic is at a nearby interim location, 419C Phillip St, during construction at the School of Optometry and Vision Science. The Kitchener Clinic remains at the Health Sciences Campus, 10B Victoria St. S. Book online or by phone at 519-888-4062.
Warriors Youth Swim Lessons, registration is now open for LTS Child/Youth Preschool 1 – Swimmer 9. Group and private lessons available. Register today!
University of Waterloo Knowledge Mobilization Community of Practice, “Summer Social” Thursday, September 3, noon – 1:30 p.m. (EV1 Courtyard). Bring your lunch (or pick up lunch at the Ev3rgreen Café in ENV 3 or Tim
UWSA Election Info Session, Wednesday, September 9, noon to 1 p.m., online
Safeguarding Science Webinar: Module1 - Safeguarding Science: Raising Awareness of Security Risks and Mitigation Tools in the Research Ecosystem, (English), Friday, September 11, 2026, 1 - 2:30 p.m.
Velocity Pitch Competition during Waterloo Tech Week, Saturday, September 12, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Science Teaching Complex (STC)
UWSA Election Info Session, Tuesday, September 15, noon to 1 pm, online
Teaching with Tech: A Practical ViewBoard Workshop - In Person (TII5010), Tuesday, September 22, 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., LIB 329 (Tech Sandbox)
PhD oral defences
Electrical and Computer Engineering. Ahmed Shaban Omar, "Safe, Adaptive, and Scalable AI-Driven Energy Management Frameworks for Urban Multi-Energy Systems." Supervisor, Dr. Ramadan El Shatshat. Oral defence Tuesday, September 8, 9:00 a.m., EIT 3151-53.
Kinesiology and Health Sciences. Nicholas Tibert, "Fall prevention exercise services in Ontario: Exploring context and evaluating a targeted behaviour change intervention in primary care." Supervisor, Dr. Lora Giangregorio. Email health.graduate.administration@uwaterloo.ca for a copy. Oral defence Wednesday, September 9, 10:00 a.m., BMH 3119 (hybrid).
Systems Design Engineering. Kevin Zhu, "Estimating human poses, muscle activations, and ground reaction forces from monocular video." Supervisors, Dr. John McPhee and Dr. Alexander Wong. Oral defence Thursday, September 10, 9:30 a.m., remote.
Physics and Astronomy. Estevao Vilas Boas de Oliveira, "Theoretical Studies on Dipolar Planar Rotors in a Linear Chain." Supervisor, Dr. Pierre-Nicholas Roy. Visit the Faculty of Science thesis submission notices website for details on requesting a copy to review. Oral defence Thursday, September 10, 2:00 p.m., remote via Microsoft Teams.
Biology. Gyana Gourab Mishra, "Characterizing the conserved role of palmitoylation in neurodegeneration using the model organism Drosophila melanogaster." Supervisor, Dr. Dale Martin. Visit the Faculty of Science thesis submission notices website for details on requesting a copy to review. Oral defence Monday, September 14, 1:00 p.m., remote via Microsoft Teams.
Upcoming service interruptions
Stay up to date on service interruptions, campus construction, and other operational changes on the Plant Operations website.