Our people

Taronish Kotwall is a first-year MSc student in the School of Public Health Sciences. Her research involved treating the symptoms of post-COVID-19 condition using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Outside of school, she enjoys reading fiction, cycling, and swimming.

As the GSEF Coordinator, Taronish is responsible for overseeing GSEF operations and chairs the Project Review Committee and the Board of Directors.

Ebosetale Hope Isabu is a Master of Sustainability Management student at the School of Environment, Enterprise, and Development (SEED) in the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in French from the University of Benin, Nigeria. Hope's research focuses on net-zero climate action plans in Canadian municipalities, emphasizing partnerships in implementing local climate plans. With over four years of managerial and communication experience and relevant certifications, she aims to enhance student engagement as GSEF Vice-Coordinator, focusing on communication, outreach, and administrative support.

Ahmed Niaz is a Master of Development Practice student in the Faculty of Environment. Prior to starting his graduate studies, he was working in the financial and sustainability consulting sectors. His areas of interest include implementing data analytics with M&E frameworks in the areas of organizational development and sustainability reporting.

Liza is a PhD candidate in the School of Public Health Sciences where she is conducting research on nutrition policies implemented in Canada and abroad, with an emphasis on youth's health. In her role as a Health Representative on the GSEF Project Review Committee, Liza reviews project applications and provides funding recommendations.

Tamara is an MSc student in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences. Her research involves the piloting and evaluation of new engagement programs for persons living with dementia, care partners, and community members. Her general interests involve improving the health and wellbeing of others through education, knowledge translation, and community building. 

Maria (she/her) is a PhD student in the Department of Sociology and Legal Studies. Broadly, her research interests lie in K-12 education investigating student discipline issues such as educators’ approaches and use of discipline interventions, and students’ experiences with suspensions. Outside of her research, Maria is actively involved in the community through peer mentorship and participation on a school board’s equity advisory committee.

Karmvir Padda is currently a Ph.D. student in the Sociology and Legal Studies department at the University of Waterloo. She completed her MA in Criminology from Simon Fraser University. Her research mainly focuses on radicalization, extremists' use of the internet, right-wing extremism, online foreign interference, research methods and methodology, and computational methods. Her research is generously supported by the Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Doctoral Scholarships (SSHRC CGS-D). In her role as a Student Representative on the GSEF Project Review Committee, Karmvir reviews project applications and provides funding recommendations. 

Candice Rubie is a master’s student in the Social Psychology Program. Her research seeks to develop and test new ways to deliver failure feedback that increase the receivers’ engagement and motivation, and reduce the emotional consequences associated with receiving failure feedback. As a Student Representative on the GSEF Project Review Committee, Candice reviews and makes funding recommendations for project applications aimed at improving the overall graduate student experience.

Ryley is a PhD student in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering. His research focuses on using machine learning to improve computer simulations of fluids, such as air flowing over a car, water flowing through a nuclear reactor, or the air passing through a wind farm.

Valerie is currently pursuing a Master of Applied Science in mechanical engineering. Her research focuses on modeling composite geometries under high-impact loading for automotive applications. Valerie holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Toronto in mechanical engineering. She is excited to be contributing to the graduate student experience at the University of Waterloo. 

Sanjana (she/her) completed a Bachelor of Science in chemistry and biochemistry from the University of Toronto and is now a MASc student at the IDEATION lab at the University of Waterloo. She is interested in using engineering tools in the healthcare space to foster rapid and early diagnosis of disease and develop personalized therapeutics to improve patient outcomes. As a student representative in GSEF, she hopes to encourage and increase students' participation in the vibrant graduate community at University of Waterloo.

Isabel is a PhD candidate in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability. She is primarily interested in competition for shared water resources and how conflict and cooperation can yield sustainable and equitable outcomes. She has a track record of leadership and helping out in her community, particularly on environmental initiatives.

Tara is a PhD Student in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management. Her research interests include international health systems, SDGs, planetary health, health literacy, and cross-sectoral collaborations. She is a strong advocate for amplifying young voices in dialogue, research and practice.

Cornelius is a PhD student in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management. His research interest focuses on ageing, healthcare accessibility, and environmental health. As a representative of the Faculty of Environment on the GSEF Project Review Committee, Cornelius reviews applications and makes recommendations for funding. 

Shirley is a Master’s student in the Department of Computer Science, working with Prof. Khuzaima Daudjee. She is part of the DSG lab, and her research interests are distributed systems and databases. In her role as a Student Representative on the GSEF Project Review Committee, Shirley reviews project applications and provides funding recommendations.

Christopher is a PhD student in the Department of Pure Mathematics, working with Dr Benoit Charbonneau. He studies magnetic monopoles, hypothetical elementary particles. As a member of the Project Review Committee, Christopher assesses projects that improve upon the graduate student experience and provides funding recommendations.

Lucas (he/him) is a Master’s Student in the Department of Computer Science who started in Fall 2021. He is part of the CrySP lab where he works on Security & Privacy related to Machine Learning with Professor Florian Kerschbaum.

Simran is a PhD student in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Life Physics at the University of Waterloo, followed by the completion of a Master of Science in Biomedical Physics at Toronto Metropolitan University. Her research focuses on the application of optical coherence tomography to simultaneously acquire structural and neurovascular coupling data from healthy and retinal neurodegenerative diseases to determine biomarkers for earlier disease detection. Simran’s role as a Student Representative on the GSEF Project Review Committee is to review and recommend appropriate funding for graduate project applications.

Carolina is a PhD student in the School of Pharmacy, working with Dr Marianna Foldvari. Her research focuses on developing a non-invasive inhalable mRNA-nanoparticle vaccine to prevent respiratory infections. 

In her role as a Student Representative on the GSEF Project Review Committee, Carolina reviews project applications and provides funding recommendations.

Max (he/him) is a PhD student in the Department of Chemistry. His research focuses on developing nanoparticles and peptides for the detection and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. As a Faculty of Science representative on the GSEF Project Review Committee, Max reviews project applications and provides funding recommendations.

During Matthew’s time at the University of Waterloo, he was extensively involved with graduate student advocacy through both the Graduate Student Association and Graduate Studies Endowment Fund. As a former Coordinator of GSEF, Matthew is excited to continue serving on the Board of Directors in the role of alumni representative.

With over 20 years’ experience, Heidi is the Associate Director, Graduate Financial Aid & Awards in Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs. She oversees the administration and decision-making of internal and external award programs for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows that may or may not require University evaluation and adjudication, as well as graduate bursary and loan programs.