Feature

Dean's Letter

Partnerships, progress, and possibility

After a busy and exciting first few months in this role, I’m thrilled to share some major developments happening within the Faculty.  

University of Waterloo launches chair in physics of information and AI

The Dieter Schwarz Foundation’s transformational gift will support a global research hub in exploratory science and technology

New insight into the laws of nature and advances in quantum technology may soon be possible thanks to a transformational gift from the Dieter Schwarz Foundation. 

Google partners with University of Waterloo to shape the future of work and learning

$1 million initiative to establish Research Chair and enhance student AI tool experimentation

Today, University of Waterloo and Google announced a research collaboration that will examine the impact of artificial intelligence on education and career readiness.

Mathematics 4 update: Fall 2025

The math behind our new building and how it will integrate ancient ventilation technology

If the first phases of construction were mostly about knocking and digging down, it’s now quite thrilling to see M4 rise up. With its outline discernible against the sky, one can begin to picture how things will look with a new building present. Here are few photos of the progress

Celebrating Alumni Excellence

Announcing the 2025 Faculty of Mathematics Alumni Award Medals

These prestigious medals recognize alumni who have distinguished themselves through professional achievement, community service or academic excellence.  

From biostatistics to transforming community health

Waterloo alum Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman (MMath '03) becomes first Black female president of Ontario Medical Association

Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman, the first Black female president of the Ontario Medical Association, sees herself as a bridge builder.

Class notes

Find out what your former classmates are up to now!

Alumni on the move and getting noticed, kudos, what's happening in math, newly named scholarships, and in memoriam.

Dean's Letter

Many reasons to say thanks!

Your support during Giving Day was truly overwhelming. While we are still finalizing the counts, the generosity and enthusiasm shown by our community was nothing short of incredible.

William Tutte honoured with postage stamp

Royal Mail celebrates combinatorics pioneer and WWII hero Dr. William T. Tutte with stamp commemorating 80th anniversary of V-E Day

Waterloo professor and WWII codebreaker Dr. William T. Tutte (1917-2002) is one of ten individuals being honored by Great Britain’s Royal Mail in a stamp series commemorating the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day.

David Del Rey Fernández named Pratt & Whitney Canada Industry-Sponsored Research Chair

New chair will shape the future of aerospace AI

The aerospace industry is at a turning point—where artificial intelligence is no longer a concept of the future but a necessity for advancing safety, efficiency and sustainability.

How landing in the ER led Kristy Gao to Y Combinator

Q&A with co-founder of Cenote

We connected with our alum about her unique entrepreneurship journey, her passion for diversity, equity and inclusive (DEI) initiatives, and her words to her younger self. 

Mathematics 4 update: Spring 2025

Advancing sustainable computing, exploring M4’s beautiful Gradient Gallery and a memorial for the MC-DC bridge

Learn more about the stunning new building that will enrich education and advance innovative research in the Faculty of Mathematics.

Math Alumni Celebrate Pi Day

A Global Celebration

TBD

Class notes

Find out what your former classmates are up to now!

Alumni on the move and getting noticed, kudos, what's happening in math, newly named scholarships, and in memoriam.

Events

Join fellow alumni for fun and engaging events

Join fellow alumni for fun and engaging events

Dean's Letter

Alumni achievement medallists, Math 4 updates, industry-academic collaborations and more

Welcome, alumni and friends, to the first E-Ties of the new year!  2025 is a notable year for us Mathies. For starters, it’s a perfect square year: when you multiply 45 x 45, you get 2,025. But that’s not all. For a deeper dive on this unique number, check out this article featuring our very own Craig Kaplan, professor of computer science, who explains its full mathematical significance.   

Mathematics 4 update

A student's perspective on the M4 building, advances in sustainable computing and a peek at the construction site

Find out what's new with Mathematics 4.

Master of Pi(e)

Q+A with Candice Riley (BMath ’99), Deloitte partner and Great Canadian Baking Show finalist. Plus, Candice shares her apple pie recipe.

Candice Riley (BMath ’99) is a Partner at Deloitte, where she helps organizations manage their technology innovations. She has deep expertise in Public Sector, ERP and Digital platforms. She is also a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion and is a supporter of the Women in Mathematics (WiM) and Women in Computer Science (WiCS) programs at the University of Waterloo. Recently, she showcased her baking talents on season seven of The Great Canadian Baking Show.

Interop Labs pledges $1 million USD to advance blockchain and AI research

The contribution supports the Computer Research Endowment at the University of Waterloo

Interop Labs, the initial developer of the Axelar Web3 interoperability network, announced today a $1 million USD donation to grow the Computer Research Endowment at the University of Waterloo.

Using gait gestures in augmented reality

New research suggests variations in walking could be enough to tell augmented reality what you want

New research suggests variations in walking could be enough to tell augmented reality what you want

Class notes

Find out what your former classmates are up to now!

Alumni on the move and getting noticed, kudos, what's happening in math, newly named scholarships, and in memoriam.

Events

Join us for fun and engaging events

Join us for fun and engaging events

Letter from the Dean

M4, unlocking the future of the Faculty of Mathematics

In just a few weeks, we celebrate the groundbreaking for a new math building, M4. This milestone event marks the beginning of a new chapter for the Faculty of Mathematics.

Escaping tunnel visions of success

From fostering collaboration to defining your own success, three students share how to overcome academic and career pressure

For many students, university is an exciting way to propel their career whether it’s through their academic program, co-op jobs or networking. But these opportunities can also create serious pressures.

Solving the crisis: Securing our digital privacy

Differential privacy, regulatory frameworks, education and collaboration are key solutions to building privacy-preserving technologies

The "Solving the crisis:" series explores the pressing challenges of our time, including climate change, access to health care, housing affordability and more.

The math behind Olympic sports

Have you ever wondered about the math that makes Olympic sports possible?

Alum Q&A: How Saralin Zassman brings computer science into the artist’s studio

Saralin Zassman (MMath '24) is a recent Computer Science master’s graduate who now works with internationally renowned media artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. Learn more about her academic and career journey below.

I am a creative technologist at Antimodular Research, the Montreal-based studio of media artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer.

A Waterloo legacy 40 years in the making

Gratitude for co-op and lifelong friendships motivates Ruhuni de Alwis to give back

The University of Waterloo has profoundly shaped every aspect of Ruhuni de Alwis’s (BA ’89, BMath ’89) life, from career foundation to personal relationships.

Class notes

Find out what your former classmates are up to now!

Alumni on the move and getting noticed, kudos, what's happening in math, newly named scholarships, and in memoriam.

Events

Join us for fun and engaging events

Alumni events are a great way to stay connected to the Faculty of Mathematics and your fellow University of Waterloo alumni.

Dean's Letter

Celebrating the past, present and future of the Faculty of Mathematics

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending “From Red Room to Green Room: A Celebration of Computer Science throughout the Decades” as part of Reunion 2024.

Waterloo Math’s ‘Hidden Figure’

How Marian Forster became one of the first female employees in Wes Graham’s computing group

“I decided to do mathematics out of defiance,” Marian Forster says, chuckling and leaning forward in her chair. “I pretty much got a message from society, my school, and my family that I was not very smart, and that I should take typing in Grade 10 and become a typist like my mother. And then that would be it.”

Unlocking human potential through a universal basic income

Floyd Marinescu launched UBI Works to reframe the debate about basic income — and his message is catching on

Growing up in a family where money was scarce, Floyd Marinescu (BMath ’02) saw firsthand the impacts of working class poverty. “Money was a source of a lot of conflict in my house,” he said. “I knew that if there was financial security, it would have been a lot better for my family.”

Math Marvels: Benoit Charbonneau

Charbonneau talks about his research and administrative work, his love of geometry and why he does what he does.

Benoit Charbonneau is an associate professor of Pure Mathematics who has been at Waterloo since 2010. We sat down with him to talk about his research and administrative work, his love of geometry, and why he does what he does. The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Identifying the next deadly virus

Waterloo researchers use machine learning to classify 191 of the world’s most damaging viruses

Researchers from the University of Waterloo have successfully classified 191 previously unidentified astroviruses using a new machine learning-enabled classification process.

Creating a beginner-friendly hackathon

How StarterHacks founders William Nippard and Marium Kirmani built equity and accessibility into their hackathon’s DNA

StarterHacks, the beginner-friendly hackathon returning to Waterloo campus this May, grew out of a friendship between co-founders William Nippard and Marium Kirmani based on the principle that opposites attract.

Events

Join us for fun and engaging events

Alumni events are a great way to stay connected to the Faculty of Mathematics and your fellow University of Waterloo alumni.

Letter from the Dean

Stories of impact

After a memorable 2023 for the Faculty of Mathematics community, the new year is off to an impressive start.

Using technology to help humans flourish

Opinion: Prioritizing purpose and values over moving fast and breaking things when it comes to new technology

Edith Law explains how we can ethically harness the power of new technologies for the betterment of humanity.

Black History Month

The University of Waterloo is proud to celebrate the contributions and achievements of Black alumni and friends in our global community. As we celebrate their impact on the University and the world, we continue to work together to ensure that everyone belongs at UWaterloo.

Using deep learning for personalized cancer vaccines

Deep learning technology is making immunotherapy treatment more accurate and affordable

Dr. Ming Li, a Canada Research Chair in Bioinformatics and University Professor in the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, is using deep learning technology to make personalized cancer vaccines accessible to everyone.

Q&A with the founders of the Computer Museum

The museum brings Waterloo’s storied computer history to life and provides insight into our relationship with technology

E-Ties spoke to the founders of the Computer Museum to find out what inspired them and why it’s so important to preserve our computer heritage. 

New dimension of the genome discovered

Distantly related organisms that live in extreme temperatures and pH conditions develop similar DNA

Researchers at the University of Waterloo have discovered that the DNA of some species called “extremophiles” living in comparably harsh environments is strikingly similar despite these organisms being only very distantly related.

Class notes

Find out what your former classmates are up to now!

Alumni on the move and getting noticed, kudos, what's happening in math, newly named scholarships, and in memoriam.

Events

Join us for fun and engaging events

Alumni events are a great way to stay connected to the Faculty of Mathematics and your fellow University of Waterloo alumni.

Dean's Letter

Celebrating commuity

We’ve had an exciting start to the fall term here in the Faculty of Mathematics.  

Russell Hiscock creates new statistics and actuarial science lab in M4

The former President and CEO of the CN Investment Division wants to see the Faculty take the next step in its evolution

When Russell Hiscock (BMath ’75) speaks to current students about his time at Waterloo, he tells them about having to wait in line in the Red Room, punch card in hand, to test a small snippet of code. Or about not being able to afford a calculator until his third year and having to do complex calculations, like standard deviation, manually.

Exploring the marvels of mathematics

Professor David McKinnon shares his perspective on the beauty, purpose and fun of pure mathematics

David McKinnon, chair of the Department of Pure Mathematics, is known throughout the Faculty of Mathematics for his sense of humour and enthusiasm for teaching.

Building community through puzzles

Q&A with Key Clues Principal Enigmatologist Ty Ghaswala

Ty Ghaswala (PhD ’17) is a Lecturer in the CEMC, an adjunct professor in Pure Math and the organizer (or Principal Enigmatologist) for the Key Clues Competition. Key Clues, which ran from September 27 to October 3, is a team-based community engagement and development activity that encourages undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, alumni, staff and faculty members to work together in groups of 3-6 to solve a series of puzzles.

CEMC's Ian VanderBurgh visits India

The Director of the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing shared a message of the magic of math.

The trip was organized along with colleagues from the Faculty of Mathematics Undergraduate Recruitment team to attend conferences and special events. A highlight of this trip was VanderBurgh’s talk at the International Career and College Counseling (IC3) Conference and Expo, which took place late August in Hyderabad.