Past Speakers

Gerda de Vries

Professor at University of Alberta

November 13, 2024

Dr. Gerda de Vries is a Mathematical & Statistical Sciences professor and Associate Dean Undergraduate for the Faculty of Science at the University of Alberta. Dr. de Vries’ research lies at the interface of mathematics and biology, and encompasses applications to cell biology, neurophysiology, and the formation of animal groups. She is an advocate for interdisciplinary education and has been awarded many institutional and national awards for excellence in undergraduate teaching and graduate student mentorship. She is a sought-after public speaker, presenting on the importance and joy of mathematics. She is also a recognized quilt artist whose quilts reflect a structured approach to design.

Watch the recording of Gerda de Vries's Lecture

Richard Hoshino

Associate Teaching Professor at Northeastern University

November 10, 2023

Richard Hoshino is an Associate Teaching Professor at the Vancouver campus of Northeastern University. Prior to joining Northeastern in 2020, Richard was a mathematician for the Government of Canada, a post-doctoral fellow at the National Institute of Informatics in Tokyo, and a professor of mathematics and computer science at Quest University Canada in Squamish, British Columbia. He obtained his Ph.D. in Mathematics from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Watch the recording of Richard Hoshino's Lecture

Dr. Jane Heffernan

Professor at York University and co-director of the Canadian Centre for Disease Modelling

October 13 , 2022 

Hailed as one of Canada’s leading applied mathematicians, and as a widely respected researcher on the spread and persistence of infectious diseases, Dr. Jane Heffernan has been a professor at York University’s Faculty of Science since 2007, where she is also a co-Director of the Centre for Disease Modelling and a Tier II Research Chair. Jane’s work has addressed public health and disease issues, her focus of late dedicated almost exclusively to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her research has been published in several prestigious journals and her papers have been extensively cited.

Watch the recording of Dr. Jane Heffernan's Lecture