Waterloo recognizes academic and industry excellence with honorary doctorates

Honorary doctorates recognize those thought leaders and influencers advancing society across a spectrum of disciplines. Our graduates can look to these people for inspiration as they prepare themselves for the future.

At Fall 2022 Convocation, the University confers honorary degrees on Dr. Claudia Klüppelberg and Gerry Remers. Find out more about these academic and industry leaders.

Dr. Claudia Klüppelberg

Dr. Claudia Klüppelberg received her doctorate from the University of Mannheim in 1987.  She is known for her fundamental contributions to extreme value theory and its applications to real-life problems. Her research interests combine various disciplines of applied probability theory and statistics with applications in biological, economic and technical risks.

In addition to more than 150 publications in scientific journals, Klüppelberg coauthored the book Modeling Extremal Events for Insurance and Finance, which is currently in its 10^th printing. She is a member of the editorial board of the Springer Finance book series, a Medallion Lecturer and an elected fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS).

“Dr. Claudia Klüppelberg is a prominent scholar in mathematical statistics and applied probability,” says Dr. Changbao Wu, professor and chair of the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science. “She is known for her fundamental contributions to risk analysis in finance and actuarial science. Her book Modeling Extreme Events for Insurance and Finance is highly impactful in the field.”

The degree Doctor of Mathematics, honoris causa, will be conferred on Klüppelberg at the Faculty of Mathematics ceremony on October 21, starting at 2:30 p.m.

Gerry Remers

Gerry Remers completed a BA at Wilfrid Laurier University, an MA in philosophy at the University of Waterloo and an MBA at York University. He is past president and chief operating officer of Christie Digital, a company synonymous with technological innovation and a leader in inclusion and diversity, where he served from 1994 to 2016. Christie Digital was a major factor behind Waterloo’s preeminence within the digital economy.

Remers has served on numerous local, provincial and national boards, including the Board of Governors at the University of Waterloo (2009-2016), who all benefitted from his commitment to community, innovation and human capital. In 2015, he was recognized with the Waterloo Region Record Barnraiser Award.

“Gerry is more than deserving of this honour,” says Sheila Ager, dean of the Faculty of Arts. “His commitment to human-centred innovation and global impact is exemplary of the Faculty of Arts and the University of Waterloo as a whole.”

The degree Doctor of Letters, honoris causa, will be conferred on Remers at the Faculty of Arts ceremony on October 22, starting at 10 a.m.