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Media Release – June 10, 2022
Canadian Mathematical Society

The Canadian Mathematical Society announces the end of Dr. Javad Mashreghi’s mandate as the Society’s President and welcomes the new President, Dr. David Pike.


The Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS) would like to sincerely thank its outgoing President, Dr. Javad Mashreghi, for his service to the CMS and congratulate him on a successful mandate. The Society would also like to extend a warm welcome to its incoming President, Dr. David Pike.

Dr. Mashreghi’s presidency took place at a strange time for both the CMS and the world, as the entirety of his mandate was during a global pandemic. Like all organisations, the CMS had to scramble to deal with a shift from in-person interactions to online interactions at a moment’s notice. Despite the obstacles before him, Dr. Mashreghi was able to seamlessly execute his duties as the President of the Canadian Mathematical Society.

The CMS was tremendously impacted by the pandemic, and it was with Dr. Javad Mashreghi at the helm that the Society adapted to many changes, including holding its conferences online when it was impossible to gather in person. His accomplishments were many and included seeking new revenues for the society and the implementation of new committees (Human Rights Committee, International Prize Committee, and CMS Institutes Committee) that will serve the CMS well for years to come. What’s more, President Mashreghi headed extensive studies and consultations on the structure of the CMS, all of which took into account past and future challenges of the Society. Dr. Mashreghi believes that this issue should continue to be explored over the next couple of years.

The presidency of Dr. Javad Mashreghi was also marked by a critical point in the history of both the Canadian Journal of Mathematics (CJM) and the Canadian Mathematical Bulletin (CMB). During this time, the journals shifted from a subscription-based model to a bundle-based model. The most drastic change is that which is yet to come: the open-access era. This implementation will fundamentally affect CMS operations. Even before his presidency, Dr. Mashreghi was actively involved with the Publication Committee of the CMS as a member, then as chair from 2017-2019. He has been involved in countless meetings (sometimes several in one week) with CMS colleagues and various publishing houses. Javad’s commitment and contributions to the Society’s publications does not go unnoticed, especially with the challenging days that lie ahead for the CJM and the CMB.

With all of these developments in mind, Dr. Mashreghi has set the CMS on an excellent course for a successful future. Under his leadership, initiatives for the House of Mathematics and Transactions of the CMS were born and nurtured. We are delighted to announce that the CMS’ offer to purchase a heritage building in Downtown Ottawa was accepted by the sellers as well as approved by the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors of the CMS. Further official paperwork and technical verifications will be completed in the coming weeks. We expect to inaugurate the Canadian House of Mathematics in September 2022. Though these initiatives are still in progress, they will prove to be ground-breaking for the Society. Dr. Mashreghi also emphasized the need for improvement and expansion of French Language documents, which is an important matter for a Canadian society such as the CMS. As president, Dr. Mashreghi never faltered and was a strong leader during a challenging time for the CMS.

Dr. Termeh Kousha, Executive Director of the CMS, expresses her thoughts on Dr. Mashreghi’s presidency:

It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Javad. He served as an extremely professional and dedicated president whose love for the CMS was clear in every decision that he made. I am grateful that Javad will remain an active member of the CMS and continue to share his expertise with our community. I am also excited to work with David Pike during his presidency. I know that he will make excellent contributions to the initiatives that Javad has so lovingly crafted and will curate his own wonderful projects for the CMS.

The CMS is grateful for Dr. Mashreghi’s effort and contributions to the Society, both as President and as a member. He is an integral part of our Society and the CMS looks forward to working with him for many years to come.

The CMS would also like to welcome the incoming President, Dr. David Pike. Dr. Pike received a BMath degree in 1992 from the University of Waterloo and a PhD in 1996 from Auburn University. In 1998, he joined the faculty at Memorial University of Newfoundland, where he is currently a University Research Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics (with a cross-appointment to the Department of Computer Science). His research involves combinatorial design theory and graph theory. Dr. Pike’s recent work has been on such topics as colourings of combinatorial designs and graph decompositions, configuration orderings, as well as graph-based games.

Dr. David Pike was awarded the Hall Medal of the Institute of Combinatorics and its Applications in 2007. In the past, Dr. Pike has served on NSERC panels for grants and scholarships. He currently serves on editorial boards for the Australasian Journal of Combinatorics and the Journal of Combinatorial Designs. Since 2016, David has been a Vice-President of the Institute of Combinatorics and its Applications. Dr. Pike is a long-standing and active member of the CMS. He has served on the CMS Endowment Grants Committee (2003-2005), the Board of Directors (2005-2009), and the Nominating Committee (2017-2020) which he chaired for two years (2018, 2019). He was Vice-President (Atlantic) from 2015 to 2017, and in 2021 was elected to the Presidency of the Society.

Dr. David Pike worked alongside Dr. Javad Mashreghi as President-Elect in 2021:

It has been a pleasure to work with Javad this past year. He has done an exceptional job as CMS President while faced with unprecedented challenges. I offer him my praise and thanks, and I look forward to receiving future wisdom that he will share.

The Canadian Mathematical Society looks forward to working with Dr. David Pike and wishes him a successful mandate as President of the Society. 

About the CMS

Founded in 1945, the Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS) promotes the advancement, discovery, learning and application of mathematics. In its role as a non-profit charitable organization, the CMS promotes mathematics through a rich array of activities including scientific meetings, publications, awards, prizes, grants, camps, and competitions. The CMS is a registered charity and welcomes donations in support of its mission.

To learn more, please visit: https://cms.math.ca/about-the-cms/


For more information please contact:

Dr. Termeh Kousha                                                      Dr. David Pike
Executive Director                                  or                  President
Canadian Mathematical Society                                  Canadian Mathematical Society
tkousha@cms.math.ca                                                dapike@mun.ca