University

University of Waterloo

University
#261
Global Influence
Public research university in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

About University of Waterloo

By James Barham, PhD

The University of Waterloo traces its roots back to the Waterloo College School, founded in 1914.

The college school was the non-theological teaching arm of Waterloo Lutheran Seminary (now Martin Luther University College), itself founded in 1911.

In 1924, the college school began to offer a regular, three-year, liberal arts curriculum under the name of Waterloo College of Arts. The following year the school became officially associated with the University of Western Ontario, under the name of Waterloo College.

In 1957, a separate administrative entity was established within the structure of Waterloo College. It was called Waterloo College Associate Faculties (WCAF).

Two years later, in 1959, WCAF split away from both Waterloo College and the University of Western Ontario, becoming an independent institution of higher learning under the name of the University of Waterloo. Several other Waterloo College academic units—the Mathematics, Economics, German, and Russian Departments, among others—chose to transfer to the new University of Waterloo.

Today, Waterloo’s academic structure comprises 13 schools spread among six faculties. The student body numbers more than 36,000 souls.

In 1999, the cutting-edge Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (PI) opened in the city of Waterloo. The PI engages in cooperative partnership with the University of Waterloo, among other universities and institutions.

Noted individuals associated with the University of Waterloo include:

  • Mathematicians, Jonathan Borwein, David M. Jackson, Jack Edmonds, Hiroshi Haruki, Ronald C. Read, Doug Stinson, Neil Koblitz & Carsten Thomassen
  • Computer scientists, Gordon Bell, Michele Mosca, Václav Chvátal, Jeffrey Shallit, Gordon Cormack, Rik Holt, David Cheriton, Ian Goldberg, Rasmus Lerdorf & Mike Lazaridis
  • Philosophers, Jan Narveson, Paul Thagard & Justin K.A. Smith
  • Poet, George Elliott Clarke
  • Novelists, James Alan Gardner & Anne Fleming
  • Children’s author, Tim Wynne-Jones
  • Animator, Bill Reeves
  • Actors, Brad Goddard, Steve Smith & Rick Green
  • Astronomers, Clifford Cunningham & Michael Balogh
  • Astrophysicist, Will Percival
  • Cosmologists, Lee Smolin & Michael Hudson
  • Physicists, Donna Strickland (Nobel laureate), Anthony Leggett, Paul S. Wesson, Robert Mann, Michael Gingras, Jeff Z.Y. Chen, Stefan Idziak & James J. Kay
  • Electrical engineers, Vijay Bhargava & Prem Saran Satsangi
  • Electrical engineer and hybrid systems pioneer, Claire J. Tomlin
  • Chemists, Giacinto Scoles & Moustafa Aly Soliman
  • Biophysicists, Zoya Leonenko & Bae-Yeun Ha
  • Theoretical neuroscientist, Chris Eliasmith
  • Psychologist, Lisa Feldman Barrett
  • Social psychologists, Ziva Kunda & Melvin Lerner
  • Anthropologist, Anne Zeller
  • Religious studies scholars Douglas E. Cowan & A. James Reimer
  • Judaica scholar, Paul G. Socken
  • Historians, Ken Coates & W.G. Godfrey
  • Economists, Robert Mundell (Nobel laureate), Maurice Kugler & David X. Li
  • Former Canadian Governor, General David Johnston

According to Wikipedia, The University of Waterloo is a public research university with a main campus in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to "Uptown" Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also operates three satellite campuses and four affiliated university colleges. The university offers academic programs administered by six faculties and thirteen faculty-based schools. Waterloo operates the largest post-secondary co-operative education program in the world, with over 20,000 undergraduate students enrolled in the university's co-op program. Waterloo is a member of the U15, a group of research-intensive universities in Canada.

University of Waterloo's Online Degrees

What Is University of Waterloo Known For?

University of Waterloo is known for it's academic work in the following disciplines:

University of Waterloo's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Computer Science
#35
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#36
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Programming
#31
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#31
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Artificial Intelligence
#83
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#88
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Algorithms
#20
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#20
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computer-science Degrees
Mathematics
#86
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#126
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Graph Theory
#2
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#4
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Combinatorics
#11
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#11
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Statistics
#110
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#115
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math Degrees
Engineering
#208
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#228
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Electrical Engineering
#93
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#101
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Architecture
#351
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#381
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Mechanical Engineering
#315
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#322
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engineering Degrees
Business
#226
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#227
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Management
#181
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#181
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Finance
#379
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#379
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Sales
#156
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#156
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business Degrees
Education
#349
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#355
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Higher Education
#646
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#646
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Pedagogy
#131
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#133
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Secondary Education
#1044
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#1044
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education Degrees
Political Science
#300
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#315
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Government
#358
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#358
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Public Policy
#117
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#117
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Human Rights
#345
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#347
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political-science Degrees
Physics
#201
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#249
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Cosmology
#102
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#107
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Particle Physics
#200
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#203
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Astronomy
#379
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#403
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physics Degrees
Philosophy
#293
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#338
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Logic
#249
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#279
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Ethics
#248
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#250
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Animal Rights
#107
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#107
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philosophy Degrees
Communications
#390
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#412
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Journalism
#599
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#604
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Linguistics
#503
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#521
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Grammar
#441
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#442
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communications Degrees
Psychology
#180
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#201
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Social Psychology
#96
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#100
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Clinical Psychology
#90
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#90
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Cognitive Psychology
#89
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#90
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psychology Degrees
Medical
#475
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#488
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Optometry
#15
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#15
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Public Health
#319
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#319
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Mental Health
#346
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#346
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medicine Degrees
Biology
#448
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#485
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Biochemistry
#298
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#307
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Agriculture
#794
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#795
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Molecular Biology
#327
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#329
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biology Degrees
Literature
#487
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#542
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Writing
#331
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#346
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Philology
#476
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#480
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Etymology
#621
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#621
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literature Degrees
Chemistry
#257
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#295
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Nanotechnology
#83
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#83
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Chemical Engineering
#196
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#199
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Quantum Chemistry
#29
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#29
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chemistry Degrees
Economics
#381
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#400
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Financial Economics
#52
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#52
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Econometrics
#215
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#215
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Taxation
#333
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#333
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economics Degrees
History
#508
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#523
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Medieval Studies
#138
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#138
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American History
#661
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#661
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Environmental History
#135
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#135
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history Degrees
Law
#635
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#644
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International Law
#608
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#632
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Criminal Law
#403
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#403
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Common Law
#354
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#354
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Religious Studies
#563
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#587
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Ministry
#734
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#734
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Theology
#661
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#691
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Islamic Studies
#231
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#231
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religious-studies-hub Degrees
Earth Sciences
#414
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#435
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Geography
#374
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#388
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Environmental Science
#652
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#652
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Geophysics
#432
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#434
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earth-science Degrees
Sociology
#393
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#407
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Leisure Studies
#16
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#16
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Women's Studies
#293
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#293
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Gender Studies
#321
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#321
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sociology Degrees
Criminal Justice
#251
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#257
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Law Enforcement
#251
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#251
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Policing
#95
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#95
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Criminology
#306
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#311
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criminal-justice Degrees
Social Work
#151
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#153
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Empowerment
#268
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#268
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Gerontology
#121
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#122
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Substance Abuse
#254
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#254
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social-work Degrees
Anthropology
#782
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#799
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Forensic Anthropology
#94
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#94
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Ethnography
#751
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#754
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Physical Anthropology
#295
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#295
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anthropology Degrees
Nursing
#1773
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#1774
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nursing Degrees

Who Are University of Waterloo's Most Influential Alumni?

University of Waterloo's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Computer Science, Mathematics, and Social Work. Here are some of University of Waterloo's most famous alumni:

Robert Tibshirani
Robert Tibshirani
A Canadian statistician.
Peter McLaren
Peter McLaren
A Canadian academic.
Douglas N. Walton
A Canadian academic.
Rasmus Lerdorf
Rasmus Lerdorf
A Danish programmer and creator of PHP.
Chris Hadfield
Chris Hadfield
A Canadian astronaut.
Neil Robertson
A Canadian-American graph theorist .
Tom Duff
Tom Duff
An American computer programmer.
David X. Li
A Chinese statistician.
Vitalik Buterin
Vitalik Buterin
A Russian-Canadian computer scientist.
Matei Zaharia
A Romanian-Canadian computer scientist and engineer.
Erik Demaine
Erik Demaine
A Canadian computer scientist, (1981 - ), Nova Scotia, Canada.
A. K. Dewdney
A Canadian mathematician.

Who Are University of Waterloo's Most Influential Faculty?

University of Waterloo's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Computer Science, Mathematics, and Social Work. Here are some of University of Waterloo's most famous alumni:

Scott Aaronson
Scott Aaronson
An American scientist, working on the field of quantum computing, (1981 - ), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Ian Goldberg
Ian Goldberg
A Cryptographer.
Ali Ghodsi
Ali Ghodsi
An Iranian-Swedish computer scientist.
Michele Mosca
A Cryptographer.
Andris Ambainis
A Latvian scientist.
T. Ryan Gregory
A Canadian biologist.
Karen Yeats
A Canadian mathematician and mathematical physicist.
Eric Katz
An American mathematician.
Nima Rezaei
Nima Rezaei
An Iranian scientist.
Brian Orend
A Canadian philosopher.
Timothy M. Chan
Timothy M. Chan
A US professor.
J. Carlos Santamarina
J. Carlos Santamarina
An Argentinian university teacher.