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at that time. There weren’t a lot of job
opportunities in Canada back then so
they wanted to move to the US. Then
he found an industrial job. He was a
very good student so I'm still trying to
get him back.
The other student was really, really
talented. He said he wanted a taste of
the industry before deciding to do the
PhD. He might still come back. He went
to work for a product team. It was a
surprising choice because he has a lot
of talent.
Students go through processes that
can be quite frustrating. I think they
want a taste of something different. In
comparison, industry offers a more
stable life than research.
What drives students to stick with
academia?
Through these years, you learn a lot
about yourself. You realize your
limitations and boundaries before
discovering what you really want to do.
What did you discover about yourself?
[
laughs
] Ahh, you’re putting me on the
spot! The learning process is never-
ending. I didn’t always know what to
do. I didn’t know if I wanted to work in
industry or become a professor.
What convinced you to stay in
academia?
In the beginning, I wasn’t always sure.
When I started, I was very afraid. I
didn’t know if I would be good at
teaching and guiding students. I knew I
wanted to try it. After the first year, I
really enjoyed it, and now I cannot see
myself doing anything else.
You have had extraordinary teachers.
Which quality do you admire the most
in your own teachers?
I had a lot of teachers that I learned
from even from when I was a little kid.
As a supervising student, I learned the
most from Raquel Urtasun, who is also
a Co-Founder of the Vector Institute.
She guides students in a really natural
way. She teaches them how to learn
and how to approach problems. I am a
little bit more chaotic. I tend to throw
many ideas out there. Perhaps it
confuses students. I learned that you
shouldn't rush into things. You should
go slowly and help them realize things
by themselves rather than just by
telling them. I think that is probably
the best thing I learned from my
teachers.
What is the most precious thing that
you learned from your students?
[
laughs
] Wow, I’ve had so many! Every
student is very different, and every
student needs a different type of
approach. Some like things to be very
structured. I like to brainstorm so
maybe I wasn’t as structured. It
changed the way that I interact. If I
have ideas that I want to convey then I
do it slowly.
Have you seen benefits of this?
Yes - I’ve seen progress, and a lot of
projects are going well. Again, some
people like it one way, and some like it
another way. The teacher should adapt.
16
TuesdaySanja Fidler