Gyaanter log

Professor Kumar Murty is in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Toronto. His research fields are Analytic Number Theory, Algebraic Number Theory, Arithmetic Algebraic Geometry and Information Security. He is the founder of the GANITA lab, co-founder of Prata Technologies and PerfectCloud. His interest in mathematics ranges from the pure study of the subject to its applications in data and information security.

Prof. Chirag Variawa is the Director, First Year Curriculum, and Associate Professor, Teaching-stream, at the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, University of Toronto. He received his Ph.D. from the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, and his B.A.Sc. in Materials Science Engineering, both from the University of Toronto. His multidisciplinary teaching and research bring together Engineering Education and Industrial Engineering to identify and mitigate learning barriers for diverse student populations. He is the founding member of the First-year Engineering Education Research (FYEER) group, whose goal is to support undergraduate and graduate student engineering education.  Projects from FYEER include using sentiment analysis to understand large-scale student feedback, creating chatbots to support positive learning strategies, understanding the expectations and realities of first-year student workload, among others.  Variawa coordinates and teaches large (1200+ student) first-year engineering courses, and also teaches a Ph.D. course on teaching and learning in engineering education.  He facilitates several community-building events in the Faculty, and serves on committees that focus on first-year, curriculum, equity/diversity/inclusion, and co-coordinates TA training for the Faculty. Variawa also serves as the inaugural Faculty-in-Residence at the Chestnut Student Residence, University of Toronto.  He spends his time supporting students in this informal setting with events and initiatives which include Dinner with your Professors, Industry Nights, Community Pop-ups, and others.  In his spare time, Variawa enjoys tinkering with electronics and mechanical things.

Dr. Keshav Krishnamurty has an extensive academic background, having served as a Sessional Lecturer at the University of Toronto and a Part-Time Instructor at York University. He attained his PhD from the University of Massachusetts in Boston, specializing in Organizations and Social Change. His scholarly pursuits lie at the confluence of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Organizational Theory, and Business History. Dr. Krishnamurty's research delves into the historical evolution of meritocracy, particularly its origins in the United States and its global dissemination through Business Education, elucidating its profound ramifications on societal, political, and economic landscapes. Additionally, he maintains a keen interest in environmental studies, political science, history, and culture. Dr. Krishnamurty pursued undergraduate studies in History, Economics, and Political Science and holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow.