Features
Message from the Associate Dean of AI
As the first Associate Dean of AI Strategy in the Faculty of Mathematics, I’m thrilled to introduce this special AI-focused issue of E‑Ties. As AI transforms society, Waterloo stands at a crossroads: we have the history, expertise and interdisciplinary strength to shape the technology’s future, but doing so requires renewed focus and collective ambition.
Math at the forefront of AI
From advancing AI safety and explainability to accelerating drug discovery to strengthening Canada’s critical minerals supply chain, the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Mathematics continues to be a responsible leader in artificial intelligence.
M4 update: Winter 2026
In this update on the Faculty's newest building: a student recreates M4 in Minecraft; Dr. Martin Karsten talks about the Green Room; and Dr. Achim Kempf, whose lab will have a home in M4, and his team make a major breakthrough in quantum computing.
From computer science to the recording studio: an interview with George Seara
Today, George Seara is an award-winning mix and recording engineer. He has been nominated for multiple Juno and Grammy awards, including winning the 2012 Juno for Recording Engineer of the Year, and collaborated with household names like Shawn Mendes, Rihanna, Drake, Sabrina Carpenter and Taylor Swift.
For a long time, however, he was just a kid who loved music and computers and couldn’t figure out a way to combine the two.
Cracking the code of complexity
New research from the University of Waterloo is making inroads on one of the biggest problems in theoretical computer science. But the way to do it, according to Cameron Seth, a PhD researcher working in the field of algorithmic approximation, is by breaking the problem down into smaller pieces.
Mathies celebrate the reopening of the beloved Bombshelter
The Bomber shut its doors in 2019, but reopened this year with a new look, and there are plans for its future.