Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 Faculty of Mathematics Doctoral Prize: Computer Science PhD Nils Lukas (first prize), Applied Mathematics PhD Cameron Meaney (second prize) and Actuarial Science PhD Qiuqi Wang (third prize).
The prizes, which come with respective awards of $1500, $1000, and $500, are given annually to recognize the achievement of graduating doctoral students in the Faculty of Mathematics. As the first prize winner, Lukas has also been nominated for the University-wide Governor General Gold Medal, which is awarded at spring convocation.
Nils Lukas
Lukas graduated this February with a PhD from the Cheriton School of Computer Science. His dissertation is titled “Analyzing Threats of Large-Scale Machine Learning Systems.” He is currently working with Borealis AI, and this August will be starting a position as an assistant professor at Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in the United Arab Emirates.
“Receiving this year’s Mathematics Doctoral Prize Award is a tremendous honour, and I am truly humbled that my work has been recognized,” Lukas says. “I am eagerly looking forward to the opportunities that lie ahead and remain committed to advancing secure and private machine learning methods.”
“Nils has an outstanding publication record and a level of academic excellence rarely seen among even applicants for faculty positions,” says Florian Kerschbaum, professor of Computer Science and Lukas’s advisor.
“I want to express my deep gratitude to Dr. Kerschbaum, whose guidance and support were crucial to my journey,” Lukas says. “I am also immensely thankful to my committee members N. Asokan, Yaoliang Yu, Arie Gurfinkel, and external member Alina Oprea for their invaluable contributions and insights.”
Cameron Meaney
Meaney graduated with his PhD from the Department of Applied Mathematics last summer, and now works as a QSP/QST Modelling Scientist at Simulations Plus, Inc., a medical research software company in California. His dissertation is titled “Applications of Deep Learning to Differential Equation Models in Oncology,” and involves using mathematical and computational models to model cancer progression and treatment.
“It is wonderful to be recognized by an institution which has shaped so much of my academic and career journey,” Meaney says.
“Cameron’s publication record, work ethic, experience working in interdisciplinary teams, and knowledge of applied mathematics, numerical computing, and cancer medicine have made him stand apart from his peers as a talented researcher with high potential,” says Dr. Mohammed Kohandel, professor of Applied Mathematics and Meaney’s graduate supervisor. “He is a brilliant young researcher with a bright future.”
“I would like to extend a huge thank you Dr. Kohandel,” Meaney says. “He was a key part of my academic journey from start to finish and gave me lots of opportunities to succeed and grow.”
Qiuqi Wang
Wang graduated with his PhD from the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science last summer, and now holds a position as a tenure-track assistant professor in the Maurice R. Greenberg School of Risk Science at George State University. His dissertation is titled “Characterizing, optimizing and backtesting metrics of risk,” and deals with applications to insurance and finance.
“I feel pretty honored to be selected as one of the recipients of the award,” Wang says. “The University of Waterloo is one of the top-notch universities in mathematics. This award must be one of the most memorable recognitions of my work in my life.”
“I was very fortunate do work with Qiuqi,” says his supervisor, professor Ruodu Wang. “He also recently won the Pierre Robillard Award for the best PhD thesis in Statistics and Probability defended in Canada in 2023 (awarded by the Statistical Society of Canada), clearly showing his excellence.”
Wang is particularly thankful to Dr. Wang “for his patient advice and endless support,” and also expresses his thanks to “my parents, my friends, and everyone who helps me during my PhD.”
You can read more about the Doctoral Prize, and see a list of past winners, on the Graduate Studies website.