Awarded by the Office of the Provost, a University Research Chair recognizes exceptional achievement and pre-eminence in a particular field of knowledge.
William Slofstra, an assistant professor of pure mathematics and a faculty member with the Institute for Quantum Computing, works in the field of mathematics of quantum information and computation.
Slofstra’s work sets out to understand the limits of solvable and unsolvable problems relevant to quantum computing, helping to bridge the theoretical and practical gap between quantum mechanics and computer science.
“I’m extremely grateful for this honour and for being given the opportunity to develop my research program,” he says. “Time is the one thing that is always in short supply for a researcher like me, with so many commitments alongside the research. The university research chair takes some of the pressure off and will be a big boost for my work.”
Slofstra also credits his colleagues in the Department of Pure Math with enabling him to have the freedom to explore interesting problems and build research partnerships across disciplines.
“It’s a testament to the collaborative and collegial mentality of the department to be so supported by David McKinnon, my department chair, and by so many of the other researchers,” he continues.
“Here at Waterloo, there are so many opportunities to connect with other fields, and it’s supported top to bottom in my department.”
Read more about Slofstra’s research on his webpage.