Bios of our special guests:

Monica Nevins completed her PhD in representation theory at MIT in 1998. After a Killam postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Alberta, she joined the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Ottawa, where she is now Professor. Her research interests have grown to include post-quantum mathematical cryptography, and with great joy she has supervised over 25 graduate students and 30 undergraduate students in both areas. She has served as Chair of her department, and as a Vice-Dean of the Faculty. She and her (very supportive!) partner have two grown children.

Originally from Japan, Maiko Serizawa came to Ottawa in 2017 to work on her PhD in mathematics at University of Ottawa. As much as she loved research in math, she felt that the academic lifestyle did not suit her. Since completing her PhD in April 2021, she works as a self-employed story writer and math coach. She is the host of a weekly show Maiko’s Story Photograph Podcast. Her passion is to touch upon a person’s life through story-telling and mathematical thinking. From the challenges she faced as a woman in math, she is a strong advocate for the inclusion and diversity in math. She currently works with her team to bring Gioia’s award-winning play Truth Values to the Ottawa math & STEM community.

Behnaz Refahi is a 4th year Ph.D. student of mathematics in uOttawa. In her research, she is trying to solve a graph theory question with algebraic topology tools. She found the joy and beauty of math when she was a high school student through puzzles and math history. She likes to help people who want to make a more inclusive community for women. When she is not doing math you can find her reading, cooking, or traveling.

Truth Values Community Event Series: University of Ottawa Women in Math