MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR

Oliver Schulte
Director | School of Computing Science

Simon Fraser University offers one of the largest and highest quality computer science programs in Canada. Our vision is to be a leading centre of computing knowledge in British Columbia by teaching information technology, researching computer science, and collaborating with industry. In 2023 we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the founding of the School. From artificial intelligence and computer systems to graphics and biomedical image analysis, to networks and algorithms and complexity theory, we offer a breadth of knowledge covering the major areas in computer science. We have a group of world-class researchers, talented instructors, and motivated staff, all dedicated to the success of our students and advancing the scientific knowledge in computing.

Our faculty and students make fundamental contributions to knowledge across theoretical and applied areas of computer science. Their work is recognized with numerous awards and honours. Faculty members in our School have received 15 prestigious NSERC DAS (Discovery Accelerator Supplement) Awards in the past few years. Because of the quality of our research and teaching programs, our School has been consistently ranked in the top 5 in Canada (#1 in Computer Vision and Graphics) and among the top 50—100 worldwide, according to various ranking organizations. Furthermore, Simon Fraser University has been named the top comprehensive university in Canada in sixteen of the past seventeen years by Maclean’s magazine. To top it off, Simon Fraser University is in metropolitan Vancouver, one of the most livable cities in the world.

The demand for our programs and our students is enormous and growing at a remarkably high rate. Currently, the School has more than 2,500 undergraduate students-almost double the number of students we had several years ago. Our graduate student population has grown to more than 200 current doctoral and master’s students. Since 2014, we have launched three Professional Master’s Programs: Big DataVisual Computing and Cybersecurity. Our Master of Visual Computing is the first program of its kind in Canada.  The enrolment in our Professional Master’s programs has grown to over 100.

We have many things to be proud of at SFU’s School of Computing Science, and I invite you to learn more about our research and teaching programs through our website, or by contacting us directly.