A scholarship established by Waterloo professor Ming Li helped Maria Esipova find her career path in mathematics.
Mathematician Andrew Wiles once compared studying mathematics to stumbling through the rooms in a darkened mansion. “Finally … you find the light switch, you turn it on, and suddenly it’s all illuminated. You can see exactly where you were. Then, you enter the next dark room…”
It’s a quote that Maria Esipova (BMath ’23) loves because it reflects her explorations in math at the University of Waterloo. “The decision to come to Waterloo was easy because it’s one of the best schools to study math in North America, and I knew that’s what I wanted to do. However, my path was not yet set.”
During her time at Waterloo, Esipova completed two research assistantships, where she discovered the field of algebraic combinatorics. During one
of those assistantships, Maria co-authored a paper that was published in the Canadian Mathematical Bulletin. In 2023, she also received the Jessie W. H. Zou Memorial Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research.
The award was established by Waterloo computer science professor Ming Li in honour of his late wife, who was a passionate advocate for education. After Jessie died of breast cancer in 2010, Li began conducting cancer research. He’s using deep learning technology to make personalized cancer vaccines accessible to everyone. The award he created now supports students like Esipova, who pursue research activities within the Faculty of Mathematics.
Today, Esipova is studying algebraic combinatorics in a master’s program at the University of British Columbia. But she hasn’t forgotten how Li’s gift helped illuminate her career path.
“Receiving the award affirmed my mathematical abilities and my potential as a researcher,” she said. “It made me even more excited to continue studying and performing research as a graduate student.”
