University Professor M. Tamer Öszu has received the Award of Excellence in Graduate Supervision, a prestigious recognition conferred annually since 2005 by Waterloo’s Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs in collaboration with the Graduate Student Association.
Nomination for the award is based on submissions from former graduate students. In addition to the honour, recipients also receive a $1,000 cash prize.
“Congratulations to Tamer on receiving the Award of Excellence in Graduate Supervision,” said Raouf Boutaba, University Professor and Director of the Cheriton School of Computer Science. “This prestigious recognition is well-deserved. Tamer is a dedicated mentor who creates a supportive environment and encourages his students to explore their research interests. He cultivates their independence, critical thinking skills and innovation, shaping them into outstanding researchers.”
University Professor M. Tamer Özsu remains an active and dedicated supervisor. Pictured here with his current graduate students, he is a leading researcher in data science, specializing in data engineering. His work focuses on two key areas: large-scale data distribution and management of non-traditional data. His current research explores graph data and resource description framework data.
University Professor Özsu is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (2016), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2018), the Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association (2022), and the Balsillie School of International Affairs (2022). He is also a Life Fellow of both the Association for Computing Machinery and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Additionally, he is an elected member of the Science Academy of Türkiye (2013) and a member of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society.
He is a recipient of numerous prestigious international, national and institutional awards and honours, among them the ACM Presidential Award (2023), the IEEE Technical Committee on Data Engineering Education Award (2024), the IEEE Innovation in Societal Infrastructure Award (2022), Distinguished Visiting Professor, Tsinghua University (2020), CS-Can | Info-Can Lifetime Achievement Award (2018), University Professor (2018), ACM SIGMOD Test-of-Time Award (2015), ACM SIGMOD Contributions Award (2006), and The Ohio State University College of Engineering Distinguished Alumnus Award (2008).
With his students and collaborators, University Professor Özsu has authored more than 250 journal and conference papers. As of March 2025, his publications have been cited more than 24,000 times, with an h-index of 65, according to Google Scholar.
University Professor Özsu has an outstanding record of graduate supervision. He has guided 19 doctoral students and 40 master’s students to completion, and has also supervised 15 international visiting graduate students along with 11 postdoctoral researchers. Many of his students have earned prestigious accolades themselves, among them the Alumni Gold Medal, the Governor General’s Award, the NSERC Doctoral Dissertation Award, the SIGMOD Test-of-Time Award, and the ICDE Best Paper Award.
The letters submitted in support of his nomination from former graduate students highlight not only University Professor Özsu’s commitment to their academic success but also his unwavering support for their personal and professional growth. His former students recount the lasting impact of his mentorship, which extends beyond research to career development and personal guidance.
“An outstanding graduate supervisor must also be an outstanding leader,” wrote one of his nominators. “I fondly recall Tamer’s leadership and how it shaped my success as a graduate student. He consistently championed my work — both within the research community and at the University of Waterloo — ensuring I had every opportunity to excel. At every stage, he provided the perfect balance of autonomy and support. But above all, Tamer is a remarkably selfless mentor who always puts his students and their success first. He is not only an exceptional academic but also an extraordinary mentor and an even more extraordinary human being.”