May 13, 2026
Blue Jays leaning into their Waterloo advantage
Waterloo alumni are playing a big role within the Toronto Blue Jays organization
Canada’s only Major League Baseball franchise is perhaps unsurprisingly powered in part by the talent and innovation of University of Waterloo alumni. Behind the scenes of the Toronto Blue Jays’ pursuit of a World Series title, Waterloo grads are applying their expertise in fields that have become essential to modern baseball. From advanced scouting and cutting‑edge analytics to biomechanics, performance science, business operations and the logistics that keep a major league club running, these alumni play influential roles in shaping the team’s success.
The work of these alumni isn’t always visible from the stands, but their impact is felt in every strategic decision, every player development breakthrough and every moment that brings the Blue Jays closer to a championship.
Here's a look at some of those alumni:
Jesse Levine (BA ’23), Senior Coordinator, Amateur Scouting
As the Senior Coordinator of Amateur Scouting, Jesse Levine (BA ’23), plays a role in shaping the club’s future talent pipeline. His work spans both operations and on the ground scouting. Levine travels extensively to scout top high school and college prospects, pairing those firsthand evaluations with the department’s broader strategy.
On draft day, he’s responsible for entering official selections into MLB’s system, including the 2024 first-round pick of pitcher Trey Yesavage. Whether behind the scenes or at the ballpark, Levine’s work helps ensure the Blue Jays are informed, prepared and positioned to acquire the next wave of big-league talent.
From childhood, he was laser focused on becoming a scout. That drive led him to Waterloo’s Recreation and Sport Business program in the Faculty of Health, which he credits for giving him a well-rounded academic and professional base.
“I’ll see the field, stop, take a second look and I remember being eight years old, trying to peek through the stadium windows. Just wishing I could be inside. Now I work here.”
Juliana Bossom (BSc ’23, MSc ’26), Biomechanics Intern
Juliana Bossom is back for another season with the Toronto Blue Jays, where she’ll once again join the club’s biomechanics team. The second-year Master of Science in Kinesiology student spent last fall as a Biomechanics Intern, supporting research focused on player performance, movement and sports science. From varsity rugby to pro‑sport performance research, she’s turning her passion for human movement into impact on the field.
“Working with the Jays provided me with my first taste of professional sport,” Bossom says. “It really excited me for this next opportunity and for the future. I like to ask questions and solve problems. In my internship I was able to do that a lot so I’m really looking forward to continue to work with data and focusing in on sports science and how it can improve performance.”
Tommy Farah (BMath ’19), Senior Analyst, Player Analysis
In his role with the Jays, Tommy Farah is responsible for player valuations. The Faculty of Math alumni, applies mathematical thinking, statistical insight and a deep knowledge of the sport to help the team make impactful decisions.
Farah leveraged a coveted Blue Jays co-op work term into a full-time role with the team once he graduated. For someone who had “grown up a huge Blue Jays fan” and played baseball throughout high school, the opportunity felt almost unreal. “It was definitely a dream to be able to get involved with the team.”
Khalid Talakshi (BCS '23), Baseball Systems Engineer, Baseball Operations
Khalid Talakshi joined the Blue Jays in October 2023 as a baseball systems developer. During his time at Waterloo, he undertook a lot of sports technology projects, both in courses and extracurriculars, that ultimately inspired him to apply for a role with the Jays.
As a Systems Engineer, Talakshi uses data to develop apps, integrations and tools to support the team. “We have to get creative in how we are solving baseball specific problems,” he says. “At the same time, we need to ensure we’re developing production grade code.”
With several members of his family having attended Waterloo, Talakshi knew at an early age that he wanted to follow in their footsteps. “If it wasn't for the opportunities to learn about entrepreneurship, research and real-life applications of technology at Waterloo, I probably wouldn't be in a job where I leverage all those skills,” Talakshi explains. He credits courses taught by Drs. Greg Rice and Jeff Avery who shaped his understanding of math and computer science in real-world contexts.
Aside from helping the team return to the World Series, Talakshi hopes to keep learning and growing his love of sports, data and technology. “Hopefully I can keep making cool stuff for people to have fun with.”
Gabrielle Campos (BASc ’21), Senior Data Engineer, Amateur Scouting
Gabrielle Campos’ first taste of sports analytics came during her computer engineering degree, where she found herself deeply engaged in a database course that assigned students a unique project: create a database to store the Lahman Baseball dataset and use it to model which players might make the Hall of Fame. A few months after graduating, Campos joined the Jays as a research and development assistant working on the team’s amateur data imports and draft model.
“I feel very privileged to have gotten the opportunity to explore the scouting side of things like seeing players live, writing scouting reports, working on our draft model, being a part of our draft room discussions and even getting to enter our draft picks,” she says.
Today, as Senior Data Engineer with the team, she has stepped back from research and is focused on data engineering tasks.
What does the future hold for Campos? “Hopefully winning the World Series with the Jays! Continuing to get better at data engineering and impacting the world of sports analytics.”
Jeremy Reesor (BSc ’12), Vice-President of Baseball Operations
As part of the Blue Jays’ senior leadership team, Jeremy Reesor works alongside the team’s assistant general managers focusing primarily on the Major League roster including trades, free agents, day-to-day transactions, player development and the strategy behind how they deploy players.
He credits Waterloo for shaping the analytical approach that drives his work today. “Waterloo taught me how to think critically and that’s been essential.”
Standing on the field at Rogers Centre from left to right: Jeremy Reesor (BSc '12), Tommy Farah (BMath '19), Joshua Poozhikal (BSc '23), Gabrielle Campos (BASc '21), Khalid Talakshi (BCS '23), Jalal Zaheed (BAFM '26) and Adam Sequeria (BASc '18)
