Milos Stojadinovic explains how banks safeguard themselves and their customers from cyber threats at the inaugural Tech@RBC Insider session. (photo by Neil Ta)
The visionary gift will enable students to delve deeper into topics the tech industry is confronting today
Students from across the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and the Faculty of Arts & Science are acquiring industry-ready skills and making meaningful industry connections, thanks to a $1.38 million gift from the Royal Bank of Canada.
The visionary support will enable students to delve deeper into topics the tech industry is confronting today with the Tech@RBC Insider Series, which features 12 learning sessions over the next three years. The gift will also create two powerful scholarships: the RBC Tech Scholars in AI Engineering and RBC Tech Scholars in Computer Science. Each valued at approximately $25,480, the awards will alleviate financial burden and transform the lives of 30 promising third-year undergraduate students over the next three years.
“At RBC, we know students are critical to our future, forming the next generation of tech leaders and innovators,” says Martin Wildberger, executive vice-president of innovation & technology at RBC.
“Our partnership with the University of Toronto is focused on helping motivate and encourage early talent to grow their skills beyond the classroom and learn from RBC’s technology leaders. Canada is home to some of the best and brightest students, and we aim to inspire and empower them to shape the future of technology for all of us.”
Senior leaders at both faculties reflected on the significance of the gift and expressed gratitude.
“It’s reassuring to know RBC shares our passion for ensuring brilliant students grow their skills to make an impact,” says Professor Deepa Kundur, chair of the Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering.
“Thank you for your vision and dedication to empowering the next generation of tech talent right here at the University of Toronto.”
“We are deeply grateful to RBC for this generous investment in our students and community,” says Professor Eyal de Lara, chair of the Department of Computer Science.
“By supporting the Tech@RBC Insider Series and new scholarships, this gift will open doors for our students to connect with leading voices in technology while reducing financial barriers to their education. It’s a powerful way to help our students thrive and contribute to the future of innovation.”
In October, U of T Engineering and Arts & Science students packed the second-floor event space at the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus for the inaugural Tech@RBC Insider session, Cybersecurity: Defend the Digital Fortress. Milos Stojadinovic, senior director of advanced threat operations and distinguished engineer at RBC, kicked off the evening with a behind-the-scenes look at how banks tackle cybersecurity. Following a networking session, workshop participants rolled up their sleeves to tackle hands-on threat modelling and threat response simulation exercises.
Many students, including Chloe Kentebe (Year 2 CompE), gained valuable insights from the session.
She was drawn to the lecture and workshop by her strong interest in cybersecurity mechanisms, and how they are designed and implemented in the financial space. Last summer, under the supervision of Kundur’s lab, she took on a research project aimed at understanding the cyber-physical security of autonomous vehicles.
She says this experience, as well as navigating her classes, participating in extracurriculars – including contributing to U of T Formula Racing as a deep learning team member – and attending events like the Tech@RBC session, have deepened her interest and broadened her understanding of cybersecurity and safety.
“To ensure the strength and resilience of a system, one needs to have a certain level of technical knowledge surrounding the dynamics of its environment, but it’s even more essential to have a mindset that can consider the unique complexities and edge cases related to the ways that the system can be infiltrated,” she says.
“The art and science of developing innovative and applicable solutions is a skill I commit to continuously improving through my education and extracurriculars.”
Meanwhile, fellow attendee Tuğra Canbaz felt a personal connection to the lecture and workshop.
Canbaz, a Pearson Scholar from Türkiye and first-year student hoping to pursue a double major in computer science and economics, has seen the devastating effects of cybersecurity breaches in his home country.
“I can’t help but be interested in cyber security and regulations surrounding it,” says Canbaz, who is aiming for a career in tech, perhaps in financial technologies or cybersecurity.
“It’s also important to consider potential interactions with AI. Imagine if an AI algorithm was trained on leaked data and how invasive that would be. That’s something I want to work on safeguarding against in the future.”
The Tech@RBC hands-on lecture, workshop and networking session also put him in the proper frame of mind to consider future trajectories.
“I like solving problems creatively and I also like the social aspects of the job – working with people, putting humans at the centre of computer problem solving,” he says. “That’s what inspires me to do more.”
Interested in attending the next Tech@RBC Insider Session, co-hosted by Tech@RBC, the Faculty of Arts & Science and U of T Engineering?
Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more information about sessions:
Site reliability engineering: November 26, 2025
Product ownership: February 3, 2026
Technical careers: March 19, 2026
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