Dr. Donald Cowan
Chairman
Dr. Donald Cowan is one of Canada’s most influential figures in computer science and technology innovation. A Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Waterloo, Dr. Cowan was the founding Chair of its world-renowned David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science and leads the Computer Systems Group. Over his career, Dr. Cowan has supervised more than 130 graduate students and postdocs, and authored over 350 publications, 17 books, and 9 book chapters. He co-founded two successful Waterloo tech spin-offs — WATCOM (acquired by SAP) and LivePage (acquired by Oracle).
His contributions have been recognized with numerous awards, including the J.W. Graham Medal, the CS-Can/Info-Can Lifetime Achievement Award, an honorary DSc from University of Guelph, ACM Distinguished Scientist, Brazil’s Grand Cross of Scientific Merit, and the City of Waterloo Award, among others.
Dr. Cowan continues to shape the future of software through innovation, mentorship, and visionary leadership. As Chairman of the Board, he provides strategic oversight and thought leadership as Qorsa advances quantum-secure, AI-powered technology solutions.
