Societal Futures

The journey to completing a PhD is not always smooth nor linear. Beyond the intellectual rigour of coursework and research papers, pursuing a PhD requires unconventional and, at times, interdisciplinary thinking.  

Through the years of pursuing a doctoral degree, candidates’ critical research helps to unlock conventional barriers by developing new and creative approaches to tackling complex problems.  

Waterloo PhD graduates undertake ground-breaking research projects that can often have global impact and lead to a healthier, more sustainable future.  

A team of University of Waterloo students were riding high on adrenaline after a whirlwind trip to Poland that involved countless hours of preparation, a little sightseeing, very little sleep and a massive victory that’s sure to impress their future employers. The team included Ryan Trainor and Coco Dai, Master of Accounting students, Arnav Sheth and Ronis Goel, students in the Accounting and Financial Management program, and Aryaman Dhillon, a student in the Computing and Financial Management program. 

The University of Waterloo is pleased to award three graduate students with the prestigious Governor General Gold Medal at Spring 2024 Convocation.  

The Governor General’s Gold Medal is awarded to graduate students with outstanding academic performances and tremendous records of scholarship. Awardees represent our exceptionally gifted community of scholars who are creating knowledge and generating transformative research to the betterment of society. 

The Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) at the University of Waterloo is pleased to congratulate IQC Canada Inc. for receiving $18.4 million in funding over the next five years, from Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada’s  Strategic Science Fund (SSF). 

The Government of Canada announced funding for several University of Waterloo faculty members through the New Frontiers Research Fund (NFRF).

There is no recipe or instruction manual for building inclusive spaces because they can never be constructed — they are cultivated. But if you ever speak to a member of the Games Institute (GI) at the University of Waterloo, they’ll share how they get to work and learn in an inclusive, judgment-free ecosystem. 

Aspiring entrepreneurs have long benefited from the innovation ecosystem at the University of Waterloo, an environment where entrepreneurship and innovation excel amidst a unique blend of co-op, work-integrated learning opportunities and customized wrap-around supports. 

This traditional innovation ecosystem, however, wasn’t reaching the needs of aspiring Indigenous entrepreneurs.

A team of researchers at the University of Waterloo have developed a new machine-learning method that detects hate speech on social media platforms with 88 per cent accuracy, saving employees from hundreds of hours of emotionally damaging work.

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Euclid space mission, which involves collaboration with researchers from the University of Waterloo, has released five new portraits of the universe. These never-before-seen images showcase Euclid’s ability to unravel the secrets of the cosmos, enabling scientists to hunt for rogue planets, using lensed galaxies to study mysterious matter and explore the evolution of the universe.

Navigating the transition to a new country to attend university can be a daunting task, fuelled by numerous uncertainties and challenges. Pallavi Thapar, an Honours Arts and Business student from New Delhi, India, was able to overcome these challenges by finding community through Waterloo’s Indian associations and organizations.