Matthew Sullivan | Combinatorics and Optimization | Faculty of Mathematics Graduate Brochure

$Photo of Matthew Sullivan$ Not long after beginning his graduate program at Waterloo, Matthew Sullivan discovered a passion for Ultimate Frisbee. Today, he serves as the chief of the Ultimate Frisbee intramural program while continuing to referee and play as often as he can. “Like all the intramural sports at Waterloo, Ultimate provides a great way to de-stress, stay in shape, and balance the academic with the social,” he says.

A predictable, well-defined game of 14 players feels like a much-needed respite for students like Matthew, whose chosen field of graph theory is significantly less straightforward. At a basic level, graph theory examines the sets of points (“vertices”) and lines (“edges”) that model relationships between objects on graphs. From optimizing road networks to designing computer chips, graph theory presents an infinite supply of complex problems to solve. Matthew points to the many opportunities to collaborate with like-minded researchers as a highlight of his time at Waterloo. “As a graduate student, you get so many opportunities to connect with researchers from all over the world,” he shares. “This collaboration generates a great atmosphere for discovery.”