Maia Fraser

Maia Fraser is an Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa, cross-appointed to the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and affiliated with the Brain and Mind Research Institute. Her research bridges Machine Learning, Symplectic Geometry, and Computational Geometry, with interdisciplinary collaborations in Neuroscience and Mathematical Biology.

• PhD in Computer Science (University of Chicago, 2013)
• PhD in Mathematics (Stanford University, 1994)
• Postdoctoral work: University of Toronto
• Industry experience: Supercomputing Systems AG (Zurich)

Her recent work explores AI safety through the lens of living systems, combining mathematical principles with societal implications. She examines temporal abstraction in continual learning, reinforcement learning limits, and geometric constraints in AI. Publications span topology, biological navigation, and neural time scales.

Scientific contributions include:

• Co-organizing Fields Medal Symposium (2022)
• Co-moderating New Paradigms session at Fields Institute (2024)
• Leading INTER-MATH-AI (IMA) NSERC-CREATE program (2022)

She investigates AI's impact on mathematical research and is writing a book on mathematical frameworks for AI safety.