Dr. Monica Nevins to receive the 2025 Graham Wright Award for Distinguished Service

Ottawa, ON – The Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS) is pleased to announce that Dr. Monica Nevins (University of Ottawa) is the recipient of the 2025 Graham Wright Award for Distinguished Service. This award was inaugurated to recognize individuals who have made sustained and significant contributions to the Canadian mathematical community and, in particular, to the Canadian Mathematical Society.

Dr. Nevins earned her B.Sc. in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Ottawa in 1994. Then, in 1998, she completed a Ph.D. in Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Following her doctoral studies, she joined the University of Alberta as an Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Postdoctoral Fellow in Mathematical Sciences. In 2000, she returned to the University of Ottawa, where she began her academic career as an Assistant Professor. She was later promoted to Associate Professor, and has now been serving as a Full Professor for over ten years.

Dr. Nevins’ research focuses on the representation theory of p-adic groups, nilpotent orbits, and mathematical cryptography. Since 2009, she has received ongoing research support from institutions including the Fields Institute for the Mathematical Sciences, NSERC, and the University of Ottawa. Over the course of her career, she has authored more than 40 scientific publications, supervised some 75 students and postdoctoral fellows, and taken part in over 80 conferences and workshops, contributing as a speaker or (co-)organizer.

Dr. Nevins has held numerous leadership and advisory roles across academic and professional institutions. At the University of Ottawa, she served as Vice-Dean of Governance and International Relations in the Faculty of Science (2018–2021), a member of the University Senate (2018–2021), Chair of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics (2013–2016), and Associate Director of the same department (2009–2011). She participated in academic program evaluations at Queen’s University (2018) and St. Francis Xavier University (2019). Internationally, she has held key roles with the American Mathematical Society’s Committee on Meetings and Conferences, including as Chair from 2016 to 2018.

Since 2002, Dr. Nevins has been actively involved with the Canadian Mathematical Society. She has served as a Director on the Board of Directors and as Vice-President on the Executive Committee, and as Associate Editor of the Canadian Journal of Mathematics and the Canadian Mathematical Bulletin. Over the years, she has participated in several committees, including the International Affairs Committee, the Distinguished Awards Selection Committee, the Equity, Diversity and Inclusiveness Committee, the Mathematical Competitions Committee, and the Excellence in Teaching Award Selection Committee. Dr. Nevins has also contributed to many CMS meetings, serving as a speaker, organizer, and scientific director. She was a Scientific Director for the 2021 Summer Online Meeting, which broke records by welcoming over 1,000 participants and featuring more than 40 scientific sessions. She was also a Scientific Director for the 2023 Summer Meeting, which welcomed over 600 attendees across 30 sessions. In recognition of her service and leadership, Dr. Nevins was named a CMS Fellow in 2020, an honour that reflects her significant contributions to both the Society and the Canadian mathematical community.

Throughout her career, Dr. Nevins has been deeply engaged in outreach within the mathematical community. She regularly leads mathematical enrichment activities for students of all levels, including the general public, and liaises with area mathematics high school teachers through the annual math PD day.  She has served on several mathematical career panels, including many with a focus on encouraging and supporting women in mathematics.  She serves annually as a judge for the Association for Women in Mathematics Essay Contest as well as the uOttawa Pi Day poster competition.

Dr. Nevins is highly engaged in supervising graduate students, as reflected in the words of one of her students:

“What I particularly admire about Professor Monica is her emphasis on fostering independent thinking. She tailors her supervision style to accommodate each student’s learning methods and preferences. Her responsiveness to emails and her commitment to regular meetings ensure that her students always feel supported.”

Dr. Nevins is recognized by her nominators for her dedication to the mathematical community. To quote one of them:

“[…] in my opinion, Monica absolutely shines in every aspect characterized as service to the community […]. [M]ore than mostly everyone that I know in the profession, she has been a relentless advocate for mathematics as a career and for the CMS in particular.”

About the Graham Wright Award for Distinguished Service
The Graham Wright Award for Distinguished Service is presented annually to an individual who has made sustained and significant contributions to the Canadian mathematics community, particularly through their involvement with the CMS. This award is named in honour of Dr. Graham Wright (Ottawa) who served as the CMS Executive Director and Secretary from 1979 to 2009.

About the Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS)
The Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS) is the main national organization whose goal is to promote and advance the discovery, learning and application of mathematics. The Society’s activities cover the whole spectrum of mathematics including meetings, research publications, and the promotion of excellence in mathematics competitions that recognize outstanding student achievements. The CMS is a registered non-profit, charitable organization and depends on grants, funding, and generous donations from sponsors, benefactors and community members to be able to carry out its activities.

For more information, please contact:

Dr. Termeh Kousha Executive Director Canadian Mathematical Society tkousha@cms.math.ca

or

Dr. David Pike (Memorial University) Past President Canadian Mathematical Society past-pres@cms.math.ca