Dr. Steven Rayan (he/him) is a mathematician — more specifically, a geometer.  In his recent work, he has been using geometric ideas to discover new features of quantum science, including quantum computing and quantum materials.  This work has been highlighted in high-profile venues such as Scientific American and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).  His PNAS article was the first runner-up, selected from over 3200 articles published in 2022, for the prestigious Cozzarelli Prize of the US National Academy of Sciences.  Since 2017, Steven has received two USask research awards and three USask teaching awards. In the University, Steven serves in a few different roles: professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics in the College of Arts and Science; chair of the Research, Scholarly, and Artistic Work Committee of University Council; lead for the new Signature Area of Research in Quantum Innovation and director of the related Centre for Quantum Topology and Its Applications (quanTA); and director of Interdisciplinary Programming in the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. He enjoys these roles and finds tremendous synergy between them.  Before arriving at USask in 2016, he earned his doctoral degree at the Mathematical Institute of the University of Oxford and then spent time as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto. Steven strives to support interdisciplinary, high-risk, high-reward research, and these efforts include serving as a co-chair of the national multidisciplinary review committee for the Tri-Agency's New Frontiers in Research Fund (Exploration Stream) in recent years.  Saskatchewan has been an especially inspiring place for Steven to advance his research.  With its tall grasses, pristine lakes, and glimmering sky, this is the right place to think big!