Associate Professor Matthew Kennedy appointed University Research Chair

Associate Professor Matthew Kennedy has been appointed a University Research Chair in recognition of his outstanding research contributions to the field of operator algebras and functional analysis. Waterloo’s designation of University Research Chair recognizes exceptional achievement of faculty and their pre-eminence in a field of knowledge.

Kennedy joined the Department of Pure Mathematics in 2015. His major research interests include the structure of operator algebras related to groups and dynamical systems, and the theory of noncommutative convexity.

“Matt is an established research leader, and his star is still rising,” said David McKinnon, Chair of the Department of Pure Mathematics. “It’s great to see him recognized for his outstanding contributions and talent, which make him truly deserving of this achievement.”

In 2018, Kennedy received a Discovery Accelerator Supplement from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), awarded to researchers who have a research program that is highly rated in terms of originality and innovation, and who show strong potential to become international leaders within their field. In 2017, Kennedy won the inaugural Faculty of Mathematics Research Excellence Award, a recognition based on a body of work developed over five years, or a single influential paper published within a five-year span. As a PhD student at Waterloo, Kennedy won the 2012 Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS) Doctoral Prize.

Kennedy’s appointment to a seven-year term as University Research Chair is effective July 1, 2019. He is the second faculty member in the Department of Pure Mathematics to be appointed a University Research Chair, following Professor Jason Bell (2013).