An equation for excellence

Israat Haque, ’11 PhD

Alumni Honour Award recipient

Israat Haque’s work is all about systems and security. As a researcher, she leads the Programmable and Intelligent Networking (PINet) group, which designs high-performance, secure distributed and networking systems to solve real-world challenges. She’s also shaping the next generation of tech leaders, with more than 40 trainees having worked under her mentorship in the PINet lab.

Currently an associate professor at Dalhousie University, Haque brings a lens of creativity and innovation to rapidly developing areas such as 5G/6G systems, AI, big data and the Internet of Things. She has received significant research grants from major funding agencies including NSERC and MITACS to fund her transformational projects.

To translate knowledge into commercially valuable and useful applications, Haque has also forged strong relationships with industry partners such as Ericsson, Cisco and Intel. She also helps cultivate a strong research community by offering her time as an editor of the IEEE Communications Magazine’s Internet of Things series, and serves on organizing committees for major conferences such as the IEEE International Conference on Network Protocols and IEEE International Conference on Network Softwarization.

A leader in computing science, Haque has also received the N2Women: Stars in Computer Networking and Communications Rising Star Award and Digital Nova Scotia's Thinking Forward Award.

Gavin Bradley, ’15 MSc

Alumni Horizon Award recipient

Gavin Bradley first came to the U of A as an Irish exchange student, pursuing his interest in paleontology as a master’s student in the Currie Lab. He thrived in his new home, winning several teaching awards, and eventually became a lecturer for several introductory paleontology courses that Currie formerly taught.

While refining courses like Dinosaurs in the Fossil Record and Ancient Marine Reptiles, Bradley discovered a passion for teaching, finding that he enjoyed presenting the material to eager students as much as he enjoyed the subject itself.

In addition to the courses he’s responsible for in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, he took on a role co-ordinating the Faculty of Science’s on-demand online courses, from the ever-popular Dino 101 to options like Bugs 101 and Astro 101: Black Holes. He also frequently gives paleontology outreach talks to all types of audiences, and during the pandemic, he collaborated with the faculty to create six online science summer camps for grade-schoolers in Alberta.

Proving that science and the arts can go hand in hand, Bradley is also an excavator of emotion, releasing his debut full-length poetry collection, Separation Anxiety, in 2022. It became the first North American book to win the prestigious UNESCO Bridges of Struga International Poetry Award and was also shortlisted for the Robert Kroetsch Award for Poetry.

Frincy Clement, ’21 MSc

Alumni Horizon Award recipient

The field of artificial intelligence is continually changing and evolving, and computing science graduate Frincy Clement is one of the leaders at the helm of it all, drawing on her expertise to ensure it’s being developed and used responsibly.

Currently a Principal Data Scientist with ADP, Clement formerly served as Manager of Data Science and Analytics at TELUS. Additionally, she’s an expert member of the World Economic Forum’s AI Governance Alliance as well as a steering committee member for the Standards Council of Canada’s AI and Data Governance Collaborative.

A passionate advocate for women in STEM, Clement volunteers tirelessly to mentor and inspire women to pursue careers in artificial intelligence. Her contributions in this area have been recognized with honours including 2024 Women of Distinction of the Year by Ascend Canada, 2022 Women in AI Ambassador of the Year, 2022 Advocate of the Year by Women in IT Awards Canada and a spot on Women’s Executive Network’s Canada’s Most Powerful Women Top 100.

After volunteering as a Canadian ambassador for Women in AI, a community-driven non-profit striving to create inclusive AI for the benefit of society, Clement was named the organization’s head of North America.

Her education and career have taken her around the world, from Kerala to Dubai to Edmonton and now Toronto. She has complemented her computing science master’s degree with an MBA, determined to forge a path that crosses multiple sectors and deploys AI for the greater good.

Phillip Wong, ’85 BSc(Spec)

Alumni Service Award recipient

As an undergraduate, Phillip Wong was eager to help his fellow students, volunteering his time for new student orientation services and peer support initiatives. But his time on campus and passion for volunteerism didn’t end when he graduated — in the years since, he has spent hundreds of hours volunteering for various initiatives and committees.

It was his expertise in human resources that initially brought him back to campus, where he was a guest lecturer with the Alberta School of Business. Shortly afterward, he became involved with the Alumni Council, drawing on his professional skill set to help build stronger ties between the university and its alumni.

However, that’s just the beginning of Wong’s journey. Alongside a successful career in human resources — he’s currently a senior human resources consultant with Integrated HR — he found his calling as an invaluable resource for students who are looking for support and connection.

Wong served as a member of the Alumni Student Support and Engagement Team (ASSET) for several years, drawing on his professional skills to help cultivate a safe space for students. He’s also a longtime alumni host for Unitea, a student wellness program that offers in-person and virtual tea times students can book, giving them opportunities to connect and have their voices heard.

Wong is always looking to develop his skill set to help students during these conversations and interactions. He’s taken courses including mental health first aid, suicide prevention training and supportive conversations for survivors of sexual assault, all with the aim of fostering a campus that feels safe and welcoming for all students.