Meet our students

Michelle Kao (she/her), a third-year Physics and Astronomy student, is the Faculty of Science Co-op Student of the Year as well as the 2024 Experiential & Work Integrated Learning Ontario (EWO) Co-op Student of the Year! Michelle made outstanding contributions at the National Research Council Canada, Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre.

While most students spend their undergraduate years grounded in textbooks, Chloe Muhl has been splitting her time between the classroom and the skies. Over the last four years as an Honours Science student, Muhl has been balancing academics with flight training, completing the Commerical Flight Training Program at Spectrum Airways in Burlington, where she now works as a Class 4 flight instructor teaching others how to fly.

First-year Physics and Astronomy student Bushra Almalki chose the University of Waterloo for its top-ranked Physics program. What she didn’t expect is how quickly she would become involved in campus life and come full circle volunteering at an event that sparked her love for physics in elementary school.

Second-year Materials and Nanosciences student Nayla Qureshi is using her co-op placements as an opportunity to work on developing sustainable energy alternatives to combating climate change and building a more resilient global energy system. The hands-on research she’s doing in innovative labs under the guidance of renowned faculty is contributing to these solutions.

Meet Daniel Wang, a driven international student from Nanjing, China who is currently completing his third year of the Materials and Nanosciences (MNS) program at the University of Waterloo.

Kaylee Biggart is a third-year PhD student in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Waterloo and she is not your typical graduate student! Balancing innovative research in experimental condensed matter physics, leadership as the Chair of the Graduate Student Association’s Board of Directors (GSA), and a deep commitment to reclaiming her Indigenous heritage, Kaylee has crafted a life that reflects her unique blend of passions and identities. 

Meet Maggie Bérubé, a remarkable 3rd year student that is currently pursuing a degree in Physics & Astronomy at the University of Waterloo. In the vast number of students within our programs, Maggie has not only demonstrated academic excellence but has also showcased outstanding research prowess and student leadership that makes her stand out amongst her peers. 

Meet Michelle Kao, a 3rd-year Physics & Astronomy student who is nothing short of extraordinary. In her pursuit of diversity in co-op experiences, she explores the relation between research, industry, and academia in the field of astronomy.

Courtney Kates is a 3rd year student in the Honours Physics program and one of our Department’s champions in the realm of science outreach and recruitment efforts. But her love of science didn’t start here, it began from her childhood.

Graduating BSc student Sadie Graves loves a challenge. Now, with a co-op degree in life physics under her belt, she feels she’s met Waterloo’s challenge head on and is ready to dive deeper into her academic and professional career.

After a seven-month selection process and two rounds of interviews, a student in the Faculty of Science at the University of Waterloo was selected for the prestigious McCall MacBain Scholarship.

Sometimes we write about innovations in research or awards for research. Other times we write about innovations in teaching or teaching awards. It’s not that often that we get to talk about innovations in research about teaching. That’s because while it’s a very important and interesting topic, UW physics has not yet made much of a splash in that area- until now. We caught up to graduate student Lalitasri Nandivada (Urja) to talk about how she ended up working in that area.

We all have an idea what comes to mind when we think of someone wanting to do physics!  That imagination is even more stereotyped when we think of theoretical physics (Big Bang theory did not help the image here at all).  Well, not all physicists or physics students fit that image, and 4th year Physics and Astronomy student Jessica Jago is anything but a stereotypical physics student.  We caught up with Jessica and asked her to tell us her amazing story.

Brianna Thomas was recognized as a Schulich Leaders Scholars, awarded to encourage the next generation of technology innovators. She was drawn to the Life Physics program and the University of Waterloo's innovative and experiential learning opportunities.

Mathematical Physics student Parshant Utam co-founded Wombo.ai, the artifical intelligence powered lip-synching smartphone app that has been downloaded over 50 million times. His company has attracted nearly $6 million (US) in seed funding.

University Convocation was a little different this year due to COVID-19 and the global pandemic. The Class of 2020 shared this important milestone with the Faculty, fellow graduates, friends and family at a live virtual celebration with Jake Malliaros, BSc ’20 (Honours Physics) as the first virtual Convocation host for the Faculty of Science.

Exploring physics in a way that hasn’t been done before…The Schrodinger’s Hack hackathon will provide students with an opportunity to experience collaboration, gain new connections, test problem solving, and have fun doing physics. It will also encourage meaningful connections between industry and research leaders in physics and the students outside of the classroom environment.

Ria Chakraborty, a 2A Mathematical Physics student, has a wide range of talents and interests ranging from the traditional and digital arts to quantum computing. Ria has been taking full advantage of the opportunities offered in Waterloo in research and in quantum startup culture.

Martin has had quite the accomplished undergraduate career as he reflects on his experience in the Life Physics (Medical Physics Specialization) program at UWaterloo. Read about his contributions to groundbreaking research in real-time imaging of cancer cells during a tumour resection surgery, and his interests in the field of quantum optics.

Joscelyn Van Der Veen is a winner of the Destination Physics Scholarship, a donor funded award that enables Waterloo’s top undergraduate physics students to focus on learning and the pursuit of discovery. The scholarship will support Joscelyn’s interests in Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics and her aspirations to perform research that will impact society.