Contacts

Taronish Kotwall is a Master of Science student in the School of Public Health Sciences. Her research involves exploring the effectiveness of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for symptoms of post-COVID-19 condition. 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.

My name is Ada Sevinc, and I am a second-year PhD student in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences.  I completed my undergraduate and Master’s degree in Kinesiology at McGill University. As a graduate student, I am interested in exploring how to optimize exercise and nutrition to improve bone health across the lifespan. Outside academics, I enjoy creative writing, capturing moments through photography, watching movies, and staying active outdoors. I am excited to serve as Vice-Coordinator for GSEF, where I look forward to contributing to the improvement of graduate students' experience at the University of Waterloo.

My name is Marjana Chowdhury, and I am a second-year PhD candidate in Sustainability Management at the School of Environment, Enterprise & Development (SEED). With a background in Civil & Environmental Engineering, my current research explores the economic value and environmental benefits of Nature-Based Solutions for enhancing urban resilience in Canadian cities. Before pursuing my graduate studies, I held various roles with the United Nations and Multilateral Development Banks, gaining extensive experience in international development. Beyond academics, I enjoy traveling, photography, and spending time watching movies with my son. As the Treasurer for GSEF, I am excited to contribute to supporting graduate students at the University of Waterloo and fostering a thriving academic community.

Dane is a PhD Candidate in the School of Public Health Sciences where he conducts mental health services and policy research with a focus on bipolar disorders across the life course.

In his role as Health Representative on the GSEF Project Review Committee, he reviews project applications and provides funding recommendations.

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.

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.

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. 

Kaxit is a Master’s student in Electrical and Computer Engineering with a specialization in AI and Business Leadership. With a background in Computer Engineering, Kaxit has gained valuable research experience at institutions like IIT Gandhinagar, ISRO, and NCCU - Taiwan, focusing on deep learning and federated learning. As the GSEF Engineering Representative, he brings a strong technical foundation and a passion for advancing innovative engineering solutions.

Dongzhuyuan is a Master's student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. His research interests include multi-modal large language models and reinforcement learning from human feedback. In his role as a Student Representative on the GSEF Project Review Committee, he is committed to reviewing project applications with a practical and robust perspective and providing funding recommendations.

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.

Geetam is a Ph.D. student at the School of Environment, Enterprise, and Development. He completed his Bachelor of Engineering in Construction Engineering from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, and later completed a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech.
His current research explores the pathways through which innovations diffuse within socioeconomic networks. With an educational and research background in infrastructure and energy systems, his focus now centers on sustainability. In his capacity as the Student Representative for the Faculty of Environment on the GSF Project Review Committee, Geetam evaluates project proposals and offers funding recommendations.

Amber is a Master’s Student in the Department of Computer Science, working with Prof. Pengyu Nie. She is part of SWAG lab, and her research interest is improving productivity of Software Engineering with Machine Learning. Amber’s role as a Student Representative on the GSEF Project Review Committee is to review and recommend appropriate funding for graduate project applications.

Charlotte is a Master’s student in the Department of Data Science. She studied Computer Science and Data Science in her undergraduate career, and is now a Data Science and Artificial Intelligence - MDSAI student. In her role as a Student Representative on the GSEF Project Review Committee, Chalotte reviews project applications and provides funding recommendations.

Isabella Todd is a Master of Science student in the department of Biology specializing in Molecular and Cellular Biology & Biochemistry. Her research looks at Epithelial Splicing Regulatory Protein 1 and its regulation of the protein Catenin Delta 1. Outside of school, she enjoys dancing/Pilates, video games, reading, crafts and listening to music.

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

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.

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.

Umar Ali is a PhD student in the Department of Systems Design Engineering. His research focuses on leveraging the rich source of data from photon absorption remote sensing (PARS) to create better systems around medical imaging.
As a Faculty of Engineering representative on the GSEF Board of Directors, Umar helps review/approve recommendations of funding from the Project Review Committee.

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.

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.

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.